Identification of a new panel of serum autoantibodies associated with the presence of in situ carcinoma of the breast in younger women

Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Jul 15;15(14):4733-41. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-3307. Epub 2009 Jul 7.

Abstract

Purpose: We examined the feasibility of using a panel of autoantibodies to multiple tumor-associated proteins as a method for early detection of breast cancer and, more particularly, carcinoma in situ (CIS).

Experimental design: PPIA, PRDX2, and FKBP52 were identified as early-stage breast cancer autoantigens by proteomic approaches. The seroreactivity of a panel of antibodies consisting of these three antigens and two previously described autoantigens, HSP60 and MUC1, was tested on 235 samples (60 from primary breast cancer patients, 82 from CIS patients, and 93 from healthy controls) with the use of specific ELISAs. FKBP52, PPIA, and PRDX2 mRNA and protein expression levels were evaluated by reverse transcription-PCR and immunohistochemistry in early-stage breast tumors.

Results: Three of five autoantibodies, FKBP52, PPIA, and PRDX2, showed significantly increased reactivity in primary breast cancer and CIS compared with healthy controls. When combined, the five markers significantly discriminated primary breast cancer [receiver operating characteristic area under the curve, 0.73; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.60-0.79] and CIS (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.71-0.85) from healthy individuals. Importantly, the receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve value of the autoantibody panel was able to distinguish CIS, including high grades, from healthy controls in women under the age of 50 years (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.61-0.92). Finally, only FKBP52 mRNA and protein levels were found to be increased in CIS and primary breast cancer compared with healthy breast tissue.

Conclusions: This autoantibody assay against a panel of five antigens allows for an accurate discrimination between early-stage breast cancer, especially CIS, and healthy individuals. These results could be of interest in detecting early breast cancer as an aid to mammography, especially in women under the age of 50 years with aggressive cancers.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Autoantibodies / immunology
  • Blotting, Western
  • Breast Neoplasms / blood
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Breast Neoplasms / immunology
  • Carcinoma in Situ / blood
  • Carcinoma in Situ / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma in Situ / immunology
  • Chaperonin 60 / immunology
  • Cyclophilin A / genetics
  • Cyclophilin A / immunology
  • Cyclophilin A / metabolism
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Middle Aged
  • Mucin-1 / immunology
  • Peroxiredoxins / genetics
  • Peroxiredoxins / immunology
  • Peroxiredoxins / metabolism
  • Proteomics / methods
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tacrolimus Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Tacrolimus Binding Proteins / immunology
  • Tacrolimus Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Chaperonin 60
  • MUC1 protein, human
  • Mucin-1
  • PRDX2 protein, human
  • Peroxiredoxins
  • Cyclophilin A
  • Tacrolimus Binding Proteins
  • tacrolimus binding protein 4