Biochemical and hematological tests in patients with breast carcinoma: Correlations with extent of disease, sites of relapse, and prognosis

Abstract

The value of serial biochemical and hematological tests of blood in differentiating stages and in detecting recurrence of breast carcinoma was studied in 500 patients. Patients who had mastectomy and were with no evidence of disease (NED group) had higher hemoglobin, albumin, total protein, and lower LDH than patients with any amount of breast carcinoma. These four tests became more abnormal in patients with metastatic disease (group IV). In addition, peripheral lymphocyte count was significantly decreased, and SGOT, AP, alpha-1 globulin, and CEA significantly increased, when patients developed recurrent or metastatic disease. Patients with disseminated soft tissue or lung metastasis had less abnormality of such blood tests than those with metastasis in bone or other visceras. Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) were not different between early or late stages, nor specific sites of metastatic involvement. Among patients with a greater amount of loco-regional disease (group III) and patients with metastatic disease (group IV), those who had hemoglobin greater than or equal to 12.5 gm%, lymphocyte count of 15-2,500/cmm, albumin greater than or equal to 4 gm%, AP less than or equal to 25 units, or LDH less than or equal to 400 units had significantly better 5-year survival rates.

Ketones and lactate “fuel” tumor growth and metastasis

“…Tumor lactate production, serum lactate levels and serum LDH levels have long been known as biomarkers for poor clinical outcome in many different types of human epithelial cancers, including breast cancer. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] In fact, lactic-acidosis (due to the over-production and/or accumulation of serum lactate) is often the cause of death in patients with metastatic breast cancer, or other types of metastatic cancer. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] However, a causative role for L-lactate production in tumor metastatic progression has not yet been suggested or demonstrated.…”

Combined Staging at One Stop Using MR Mammography: Evaluation of an Extended Protocol to Screen for Distant Metastasis in Primary Breast Cancer – Initial Results and Diagnostic Accuracy in a Prospective Study

“…Further extension of the FOV was omitted in this initial investigation. This is due to the fact that stage M1 breast cancer patients typically have at least one neoplastic lesion in the examined field of view [13,14].…”

“…Accordingly, these patients where accurately staged as M1. This aspect of the protocol was motivated by reports on the dissemination of the disease in metastatic stage: Autopsy studies report that a metastatic breast carcinoma is unlikely to completely skip the field of view scanned by us [13,14]. For that reason, solitary metastases found exclusively beyond this area, e. g. in femur, mandible or the brain, occur less likely.…”

“…Future steps in our research include the evaluation of results in a larger collective. Furthermore, the field of view might be extended to cover the whole pelvis and femurs, the next most common sites for metastasis [13,14]. Roughly every 50 cm extension of the FOV would increase the scanning time by 1 minute.…”

Psychosocial Factors and Survival of Young Women With Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

“…1 In recent decades, there has been much interest in psychoneuroimmunologic pathways as the possible mediator of any such effect. [2][3][4] Whether psychosocial factors do actually influence outcomes in early-stage breast cancer remains controversial despite a relatively large body of literature on the subject. 5 The factors sometimes, but inconsistently, associated with survival in previous studies are depression and emotional repression (worse survival) and denial, minimization of illness, and social support (better survival).…”