Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul 24;10(7):e0133830.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133830. eCollection 2015.

Elevated Levels of Serum Tumor Markers CEA and CA15-3 Are Prognostic Parameters for Different Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer

Yingbo Shao  1 , Xianfu Sun  1 , Yaning He  1 , Chaojun Liu  1 , Hui Liu  1
Affiliations

Elevated Levels of Serum Tumor Markers CEA and CA15-3 Are Prognostic Parameters for Different Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer

Yingbo Shao et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background & aims: The utility of measuring carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) levels in patients with breast cancer remains controversial. The present study aims to investigate the prognostic value of preoperative serum CEA and CA15-3 levels in breast cancer patients.

Methods: Serum preoperative CEA and CA 15-3 concentration levels were measured in a total of 432 breast cancer patients. The association of tumor markers levels with clinicopathological parameters and outcomes were analyzed.

Results: Elevated serum levels of CEA and CA15-3 were identified in 47 (10.9%) and 60(13.9%) patients, respectively. Larger tumor size, advanced axillary lymph nodal and TNM stage exhibited higher proportion of elevated CEA and CA15-3 levels. The elevation of CEA levels was significantly greater in patients with HER2 positive tumors, and the elevation of CA15-3 levels was significantly greater in ER negative breast patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox's regression analysis revealed that elevated preoperative CEA and CA 15-3 levels were independent prognostic factors for DFS and OS. When considering the combination of both markers levels, patients with both elevated markers presented the worst survival. Independent prognostic significance of elevated preoperative serum CEA and CA15-3 levels were reconfirmed in Luminal B breast cancer.

Conclusions: Preoperative serum levels of CEA and CA15-3 are independent prognostic parameters for breast cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Kaplan-Meier survival curves of patients with normal or elevated CEA and CA15-3 levels.
Disease-free survival (DFS) according to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (A) and cancer antigen 15–3 (CA15-3) (B). Overall survival (OS) according to CEA(D) and CA15-3(E). DFS according to the combination of both marker levels(C) and OS according to the combination of both marker levels (F).
Fig 2
Fig 2. Kaplan-Meier survival curves of Luminal B breast patients with normal or elevated CEA and CA15-3 levels.
DFS according to CEA(A) and CA15-3(B), OS according to CEA(C) and CA15-3(D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. DeSantis C, Ma J, Bryan L, Jemal A. Breast cancer statistics, 2013. CA Cancer J Clin 2014; 64:52–62. 10.3322/caac.21203 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhou C, He J, Li J, Fan J, Zhang B, Yang H et al. A nation-wide multicenter 10-year (1999–2008) retrospective clinical study of endocrine therapy for Chinese females with breast cancer. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100159 10.1371/journal.pone.0100159 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lonning PE. Breast cancer prognostication and prediction: are we making progress? Ann Oncol 2007; 18 Suppl 8:viii3–7. - PubMed
    1. Reis-Filho JS, Pusztai L. Gene expression profiling in breast cancer: classification, prognostication, and prediction. Lancet 2011; 378:1812–1823. 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61539-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Selz J, Stevens D, Jouanneau L, Labib A, Le Scodan R. Prognostic value of molecular subtypes, ki67 expression and impact of postmastectomy radiation therapy in breast cancer patients with negative lymph nodes after mastectomy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2012; 84:1123–1132. 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2012.02.047 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types