Methylomics of breast cancer: Seeking epimarkers in peripheral blood of young subjects

Critical roles of epigenomic alterations in the pathogenesis of breast cancer have recently seized great attentions toward finding epimarkers in either non-invasive or semi-non-invasive samples as well as peripheral blood. In this way, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation microarray (MeDIP-chip) was performed on DNA samples isolated from white blood cells of 30 breast cancer patients compared to 30 healthy controls. A total of 1799 differentially methylated regions were identified including SLC6A3, Rab40C, ZNF584, and FOXD3 whose significant methylation differences were confirmed in breast cancer patients through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Hypermethylation of APC, HDAC1, and GSK1 genes has been previously reported in more than one study on tissue samples of breast cancer. Methylation of those aforementioned genes in white blood cells of our young patients not only relies on their importance in breast cancer pathogenesis but also may highlight their potential as early epimarkers that makes further assessments necessary in large cohort studies.

Download Full-text

Real-Time PCR Analysis of Peripheral Blood: A Non-Invasive Technology that can be Used to Assess Tumor Burden in Breast Cancer Patients

10.21236/ada412843 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Mitas

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Real Time ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Peripheral Blood ◽

Tumor Burden ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Non Invasive

Download Full-text

Real-Time PCR Analysis of Peripheral Blood: A Non-Invasive Technology That Can Be Used to Assess Tumor Burden in Breast Cancer Patients

10.21236/ada424096 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Mitas

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Real Time ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Peripheral Blood ◽

Tumor Burden ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Non Invasive

Download Full-text

A Pilot Study: Application of Hemoglobin and Cortisol Levels, and A Memory Test to Evaluate the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy

The International Journal of Biological Markers ◽

10.5301/jbm.5000053 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 348-356 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wings TY Loo ◽

Michael CW Yip ◽

Louis WC Chow ◽

Qing Liu ◽

Elizabeth LY Ng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Blood Cells ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

White Blood Cells ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Cortisol Levels

Background Short-term memory (STM) decline in breast cancer patients resulting from chemotherapy was evaluated by means of blood biomarkers, a questionnaire, and a computerized STM test. Methods This study was conducted from January 2013 to June 2013, recruiting 90 subjects: 30 breast cancer patients beginning the 3rd of 4th cycles of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy, 30 recovered patients (who completed 4 cycles of docetaxel for a minimum of 6 months), and 30 healthy subjects (disease-free females). The levels of hemoglobin, red and white blood cells, and cortisol in serum, and a computerized STM test were analyzed to estimate the effects of chemotherapy on STM. A questionnaire was given to all subjects to assess quality of life. Results Statistically significant differences were observed for the blood parameters (hemoglobin, red and white blood cells, and cortisol levels) between healthy and on-treatment subjects (respectively 13.47±0.96 g/dL vs 5.37±0.38 g/dL, 4.58±0.41 1012/L vs 2.07±0.13 1012/L, and 6.15±1.03 109/L vs 0.86±0.41 109/L). Scores of the STM test were significantly lower for patients compared to healthy subjects. As indicated by the results of the questionnaire, breast cancer patients had a higher tendency to forget than healthy controls (X2=3.15; p<0.0001) and recovered subjects (X2=3.15; p<0.0001). Conclusion We found depleted levels of hemoglobin, red and white blood cells as a result of chemotherapy, and elevated levels of stress correlated with poor performances in the computerized STM test. A higher cortisol level might be an important precursor of STM deterioration. Monitoring cortisol would be beneficial for evaluating the quality of life of breast cancer patients on chemotherapy.

Download Full-text