الفهرس 
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Abstract
The incidence of breast cancer is 25-50% of all malignant female tumours and represents the highest rate of mortality. To define those breast cancer patients at higher risk, several prognostic factors are routinely evaluated in the primary tumour. However, there is a need to discover biochemical markers to obtain better discriminate biologic differences in primary tumour. Here laboratories can provide useful predictive information that can be used to influence decision on the selection of treatment and to estimate a better risk stratification. Among these new markers are growth factors. A number of different growth factor peptides are coexpressed to varying degrees in normal and malignant mammary epithelial cells among them is epidermal growth factor (EGF).
Epidermal growth factor is a ligand for EGF receptor (EGFR). This receptor is the product of the c-erb1 protooncogene. EGF is presumed to play important role in the local regulation of breast cell proliferation.
The current study aimed to evaluate the serum level of epidermal growth factor in breast cancer female patients in comparison with other prognostic parameters. The study comprised two groups: a control group of 20 healthy women aged 45.70 ± 8.80 years and 37 breast cancer female patients aged 47.81 ± 9.94 years. The patients group was further subdivided into two subgroups; breast cancer patients without lymph node metastasis a ged 45.43 ± 9.68 years and patients with lymph node metastasis aged 49.26 ± 10.03 years.
Blood samples were collected and analyzed for haemoglobin, fasting serum glucose, urea and creatinine levels, and aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT) aminotransferase activities as well as serum level of epidermal growth factor (EGF). The breast cancer tissue was subjected to histopathologic examination.
The median of serum EGF in the breast cancer patients group was relatively lower than that in the control group although it did not reach the level of significance.
The serum EGF levels were assessed in relation to different histopathological examination as regard tumour size, grade, stage and presence or absence of LN metastasis and estrogen and/or progesterone receptor. It was found that there was no statistical significant difference in serum EGF level in relation to the change in tumour size, type, grade and stage. But there was statistically significant increased of EGF level in patients having lymph node metastasis in ≤ three LN than that in patients having no LN metastasis. Also the level of EGF in patients having more than three LN metastasis was significantly decrease from that in patients having no LN metastasis. Serum EGF level in patients having more than three LN metastasis was also significantly decreased from that in patients having three or less LN metastasis. In addition, the serum EGF level was statistically increased in patients with ER negative tumours than that in patients with ER positive tumours.
In addition, in the whole patients group there were positive correlations between EGF levels and both tumour size and AJCC stages. Also, there was a significant negative correlation between serum EGF levels and ER positivity. Moreover, in patients without LN metastasis there was significant positive correlation between serum EGF level and both tumour size and AJCC stages. While in patients having LN metastasis there were significant negative correlations between serum EGF level and both the number of LN metastasis and ER positivity.