The Role of Amino Acids in the Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Review

Abstract

This review summarizes the role of amino acids in the diagnosis, risk assessment, imaging, and treatment of breast cancer. It was shown that the content of individual amino acids changes in breast cancer by an average of 10–15% compared with healthy controls. For some amino acids (Thr, Arg, Met, and Ser), an increase in concentration is more often observed in breast cancer, and for others, a decrease is observed (Asp, Pro, Trp, and His). The accuracy of diagnostics using individual amino acids is low and increases when a number of amino acids are combined with each other or with other metabolites. Gln/Glu, Asp, Arg, Leu/Ile, Lys, and Orn have the greatest significance in assessing the risk of breast cancer. The variability in the amino acid composition of biological fluids was shown to depend on the breast cancer phenotype, as well as the age, race, and menopausal status of patients. In general, the analysis of changes in the amino acid metabolism in breast cancer is a promising strategy not only for diagnosis, but also for developing new therapeutic agents, monitoring the treatment process, correcting complications after treatment, and evaluating survival rates.

Keywords

• amino acids
• breast cancer
• diagnosis
• imaging
• risk
• prognosis