DNA damage of peripheral blood lymphocytes as a dual biomarker: Diagnostic and treatment response in woman breast cancer patients

BackgroundBreast cancer is the leading malignancy among women and the lack of ideal early biomarkers hampers diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Genomic instability, central to breast cancer development, makes DNA damage a potential biomarker for these purposes.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the predictive value of DNA damage for diagnosis, and treatment monitoring in breast cancer, with CA 15-3, a conventional cancer biomarker, included for comparison to assess the added value of DNA damage measurement.MethodsDNA damage was measured in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 58 breast cancer patients, and 31 healthy controls, employing comet assay, both before and after treatment. Serum CA 15-3 levels were assessed at the same time points for comparison.ResultsDNA damage levels were significantly higher in cancer patients compared to healthy controls, with the most elevated levels observed in patients with advanced-stage disease, irrespective of age, sex, lifestyle, or genetic status. Post-treatment assessments showed a significant rise in DNA damage. In comparison, CA 15-3 showed less consistent relevance for diagnostic and monitoring.ConclusionsThis study underscores the greater potential of DNA damage as a consistent and reliable biomarker for breast cancer, with CA 15-3 providing complementary but less consistent data for clinical decision-making.