SIGNIFICANCE OF COX-2, HIF-1A, CA153 AND CA125 FOR BREAST CANCER PROGNOSIS AND EVALUATION OF THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

Introduction: Breast cancer and intraductal papillary lesions and their association with nipple discharge (ND) are well known. Joint detection of serum and ND tumor markers is of great importance and effective in judgment of progression and prognosis of disease. In the present study, we observed the therapeutic effects of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on breast cancer and to validate whether Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and HIF-1 alpha in tissue and CA153 and CA125 in nipple discharge and serum may be used as predictors of mammary cancer therapeutic effects. Materials and methods: COX-2 and HIF-1 alpha expression in breast tissue was performed by means of immunohistochemistry in 128 cases of invasive ductal cancer (IDC), 89 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), 57 cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), and 60 cases of usual duct hyperplasia (UDH) lesions, and we analyzed the relationship and clinical outcomes. Results: Our data demonstrate that CA153 and CA125 levels had a positive correlation with COX-2 and HIF-1 a, and the four biomarkers abnormally increased in mammary cancer correlate with poor clinicopathological parameters such as invasion and metastasis, related to worse progndsis and shorter overall survival (P<0.05). TCM combined with western medicine therapy significantly relieved the clinical Chinese medical symptoms and decreased CA153 and CA125 levels. Conclusions: Serum and nipple discharge CA153 and CA125 levels had a positive correlation with COX-2 and HIF-1 alpha, and the four biomarkers abnormally increased in mammary cancer correlate with poor clinicopathological parameters such as invasion and metastasis, related to worse prognosis and shorter overall survival. TCM combined with western medicine significantly relieved the clinical medical symptoms and reduced CA153 and CA125 levels.