| pubmed-article:796922 | pubmed:abstractText | Currently, one could summarize this area by saying that we appear to be in a situation where three relatively nonspecific tests detect the majority of patients with metastatic disease, as well as those post-operative patients who are at high risk of relapse. The critical test of their utility for segregating those at risk for relapse from those who are not at high risk will need to be done in a highly select subgroup, e.g., N- patients. Two of these tests, CEA and hCG, also appear to be useful indicators for predicting the probability of responding to combination chemotherapy in metastatic disease. The development and further testing of potentially more specific markers to replace or add to the current matrix is now in progress, Casein, which is a product of the milk synthesis pathway of breast tissue, represents a potentially more specific test than any of those studied to date. HENDRICK and FRANCHIMONT, 1974, have found elevated levels in 21 of 26, or 81%, of patients with metastatic disease, and 8 of 11, or 73%, of patients preoperatively. The test may also reflect the tumor burden since the proportion of patients with elevated levels dropped to 41-50% postoperatively. Further results with this marker are awaited with interest. Other tests such as ferritin, hydroxyproline, or the development of tumor antigen associated immunospecific assays could increase both the specificity and sensitivity of the tests utilized in this field of investigation. Injecting the use of both single marker tests and matrix approaches into routine clinical use in the postoperative setting now appears to be ready for more critical testing. Their use in diagnostic or screening settings, which is the ultimate goal, also needs to be evaluated. Finally, from the practising clinician's viewpoint the data in this discussion should be considered preliminary. It constitutes a status report. Although there is evidence that CEA and hCG are prognostic in metastatic disease, and that subclinical disease is detectable, larger and more tightly controlled studies will be necessary before their routine clinical use can be recommended in breast cancer patients. | lld:pubmed |
