CA 15-3 and Vitamin D: Prognostic Indicators in Patients Treated for Breast Cancer?
Posted: Friday, June 5, 2020
The combination of tumor marker CA 15-3 and vitamin D levels appear to be prognostic indicators for patients being treated for breast cancer, according to a study conducted by Jamil A. Aliyev, MD, PhD, of National Center of Oncology, Azerbaijan Republic Ministry of Health, Baku, Azerbaijan. Specifically, vitamin D levels of up to 10 ng.mL and CA 15-3 levels higher than 35 U/mL were found to be poor prognostic signs. These findings were originally slated for presentation at the 2020 NCCN Annual Conference (Abstract CLO20-029) but published in the JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
CA 15-3 and vitamin D levels were measured in 362 patients at the National Center of Oncology from 2014 to 2019. The combination of levels of CA 15-3 higher than 35 U/mL and vitamin D of up to 10 ng/mL was found in 78 patients, whereas in 284 patients, the levels of CA 15-3 and vitamin D were divided into 9 groups.
In the 78 patients with levels of CA 15-3 higher than 35 U/mL and vitamin D up to 10 ng/mL, 78% were diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, and 22% were diagnosed with stage III disease. None of those patients were diagnosed with stage 0, I, and II breast cancer. Of the 284 patients in the control group, 10% were diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer; 43%, with stage III; 39%, with stage II; and 7%, with stage I; and 1%, with stage 0.
The investigators commented that breast diagnostic approaches including PET should be used to visualize the spread of the tumor and determine the stage of the disease. Levels of vitamin D should be monitored for best treatment results after cytotoxic therapy, they added.
