Affiliations: [a] Clinical Ward of Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery, Oncology Centre Prof. F. Łukaszczyk Memorial Hospital, Bydgoszcz, Poland | [b] Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Barbara Ruszkowska-Ciastek, Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Skłodowskiej-Curie 9, Bydgoszcz, 85-094, Poland. Tel.: +48 52 585 35 91; Fax: +48 52 585 35 95; E-mail: ruszkowska.basia@gmail.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Endothelial and platelet activation as well as a disruption of haemostatic balance are crucial in cancer-dependent venous thromboembolism development. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of von Willebrand factor (VWF), sE-selectin, sP-selectin as well as VWF/sE-selectin and sP-selectin/sE-selectin ratios on the probability of disease relapse in invasive breast carcinoma (IBrC) cases. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with IA-IIB stage of IBrC who passed a comprehensive clinicopathologic evaluation were included in the study. Follow-up was completed in all patients with a 15.48 % recurrence rate. An immunoassay of VWF antigen, sE-selectin, sP-selectin, as well as an immunohistochemistry of oestrogen and progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and Ki67 was performed in all cases. RESULTS: The VWF/sE-selectin ratio was significantly higher in patients with poorly differentiated tumours than in those with high-differentiated tumours. A positive correlation between VWF concentration and tumour grade was noted. Eleven of 13 events happened in patients with VWF value below 600 mU/mL with recurrence rate of 25%, but only two events occurred in subject with VWF values above the 600 mU/mL (5%; P= 0.0028). CONCLUSIONS: Our study show that VWF could be considered as a suitable biomarker of breast cancer relapse.
Keywords: Invasive breast cancer, tumour progression, von Willebrand factor, soluble form of E-selectin, soluble form of P-selectin
