The importance of CA15-3 in the Follow up of Metastatic Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Iraqi Women

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to find out the efficiency of CA15-3 in the follow up of metastatic invasive ductal carcinoma patients pre and post-treatment. Method: Seventy five inavasive ductal carcinoma Iraqi patients with metastasis were admitted to Nuclear Medicine Hospital in Baghdad, all were females and have received the same treatment regimen which is represented by FAC: 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide given 3-weekly for 6 cycles. Those patients have been observed for four months until they completed their course of treatment. Also 15 samples of apparently healthy women were involved as a control. The blood samples (5 mL) were drown from all of studied cases in order to be used for measuring their serum level of CA15-3 (serum CA15-3 levels of patients were measured pre and post treatment) by using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. Result: Serum CA15-3 concentration was elevated in 36 patients (highly significant) from the total number of patients that had been considered in the study before starting therapy, 31 patients from them were followed up for four months while they completed their course of treatment. Then; their serum CA15-3 concentrations were measured again, the result showed that the CA15-3 values decreased in 27 patients to be within normal level, but increased in 4 patients more than its primary concentration before starting therapy. Conclusion: CA15- 3 is a sensitive tumor marker for diagnosing metastatic invasive ductal carcinoma and especially for monitoring treatment of those patients.