The relevance of the tumor marker in monitoring of breast carcinoma

The Breast carcinoma is the most common type of cancer among women.

The mortality rate from breast cancer has been falling continuously, due to the tracing that allows the diagnosis of carcinomas in early stages. About 85% of women with breast cancer are healthy five years after having faced the neoplasm.

The cells of the mammary gland are responsible for the formation of breast tissue. They reproduce and produce new cells, what are known as cellular regeneration.

When the cells lose this control mechanism, and undergo changes in their DNA, become cancerous cells and produce new cells uncontrollably not necessary, resulting in the formation of a tumor.

The most common type of breast cancer is cancer that originates in the epithelial cells and may be reported as ductal carcinoma, originating from duct cells or lobular carcinoma cells originating from the lobes.

In Breast Carcinoma test the main exams are the Mammography, Ultrasound, MRI and biopsy. The self-examination, performed by the woman herself is very important in cancer detection, allowing early diagnosis and consequently a greater chance of cure, preventing metastize tumor and to spread to other parts of the body.

The tumor marker CA 15-3
The tumor marker CA 15-3 is used for tracking and monitoring of breast cancer patients. The "target" detected in the CA 15-3 test is a glycoprotein product of the MUC1 gene. It is found in most glandular epithelial cells and serum, while elevated in many cancers, including adeno carcinomas and squamous carcinomas.

high serum CA 15-3 can be found in about 23% of patients with primary breast carcinoma and about 40 to 50% of patients with metastases. Only 23% of patients with early disease have high levels of CA 15-3 and about 16% of benign breast disease have abnormal values.

The CA 15-3 values have a direct correlation with the extent and state of carcinoma. A 25% increase in serum levels of CA 15-3 shows progression of cancer in 95% of patients. A reduction of 25% is generally associated with a positive response to treatment.

Elevated CA 15-3 values are also found in other malignancies of the pancreas, lung, ovary and liver. Patients with benign tumors such as chronic hepatitis and hepatic cirrhosis may exhibit CA 15-3 serum above 40 U / ml.