Affiliations: [a] Department of Oncology, District Hospital, Swidnica, Poland | [b] Department of Basic Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland | [c] 1st Department and Clinic of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Wrocław Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland | [d] Department of Animal Product Technology and Quality Management, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland | [e] Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland | [f] Department of Pathophysiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Anna Janocha, Department of Pathophysiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland. E-mail: anna.janocha@umed.wroc.pl.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The key role in carcinogenesis with destruction of the extracellular matrix is played by proteases released by invasive cancer cells. Cysteine peptidases, such as cathepsin B and L, take an important role in cancer progression and metastasis. OBJECTIVES: Cysteine peptidase-like activity (CPA) in sera of patients with breast cancer at different stages of disease and the influence of genetic predisposition associated with BRCA-1 gene mutations were analysed. METHODS: CPA in serum was determined with the spectrofluorometric technique using Z-Phe-Arg-AMC as a substrate. Determination was carried out in 111 breast cancer patients in comparison to a control group of 50 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The highest CPA was found in breast cancer patients with a hereditary predisposition bearing BRCA1 gene mutations, and the lowest activity was found in patients who had a tumour surgically removed and before adjuvant therapy. The differences in the activities between control group and cancer groups were statistically significant (p< 0.05), except from group of cancer patients in complete remission (p< 0.52). CONCLUSIONS: Serum CPA in patients with breast cancer differs depending on the cancer stage and treatment methods. Our study demonstrate the correlation between BRCA-1 gene mutations and the increased level of CPA.
Keywords: Breast cancer, serum biomarkers, cysteine peptidases-like activity, cathepsins
