Serum Markers for Breast Cancer

By monitoring the blood serum concentrations of certain proteins in women and subjecting the results to biostatistics analysis, scientists believe they will be able to use these proteins as biomarkers to discriminate between three groups of women: women with breast cancer, women with benign breast disease, and normal women with no detectable breast cancer.

The biomarkers were discovered by Power3 Medical Products, Inc. (The Woodlands, TX, USA). The company currently has more than 500 retrospective and prospective blood serum samples under study. Of these, 151 prospective samples are from patients enrolled in a breast cancer clinical validation study being conducted by Power3 involving women at three U.S. clinical sites.

The initial study was performed with samples from 76 women. "Of 76 samples used in the construction of the initial statistical model, all 18 normal women were correctly scored as normal, 32 of 33 women with breast cancer scored as having breast cancer, and one scored as benign; while 23 of 25 women with benign breast disease scored as benign, and two scored as having breast cancer,” said Dr. Ira L. Goldknopf, chief scientific officer of Power3. The company is extending this study to include additional patient samples. The company believes that through further evaluation of these biomarkers, it is likely that the basis of an early screening test for breast cancer will be established. Such a test may be useful for high-risk women and possibly the general population as well.

Power3 believes a great need exists for a screening test that will not only identify cancers currently being missed by mammography but will also offer early detection.




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