Association of Interleukin-12 and Carbohydrate Antigen 15.3/Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Progression of Breast Cancer in Al-Najaf Province

Abstract Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the top cancer-related mortality in women; cytokines is a key player in promoting or inhibiting cancer. Reliable indicators for early diagnosis and crucial for enhancing breast cancer (BC) prognosis. Objectives: This search design to evaluate interleukin-12 (IL-12) concentration as novel biomarker complementing CA-15.3 (carbohydrate antigen 15.3) and CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) for BC diagnosis and metastasis prediction. Materials and Methods: A total of 130 subjects including 90 breast cancer women attended the Middle Euphrates Cancer Center in Al-Najaf province during 16-8-2022 to 20-12-2022 and 40 healthy women as a case control study. Blood sample was collected from all subjects. IL-12 was determined in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and CA-15.3/CEA was determined in serum by electrochemiluminescence immunoassays (Cobas E411). Results: The results showed a significant increase in serum concentration of CA-15.3/CEA in BC patients women (27.1 ± 10.6, 8.8 ± 2.6, respectively) compared to healthy subjects (9.2 ± 3.5, 2.3 ± 1.0, respectively). According to the stage of BC, the concentration of CA-15.3 and CEA increased with the severity of the disease and this is considered as biomarker for the progressive state. While the mean levels of serum IL-12 in healthy women were higher than women with BC (46.3 ± 15.2 vs. 25.56 ± 11.4) pg/mL, the difference was highly significant ( P < 0.001), and according to BC stage, IL-12 serum level decreases with disease progression, so IL-12 in stage I is lower than healthy group and higher than stage IV. These results indicate there is a negative relationship between CA-15.3/CEA and IL-12. Conclusion: Serum levels of IL-12 were significantly decreased in BC Iraqi women and decreased correlation with progressive of disease may be considered as prognostic factors for disease outcome and CA-15.3 and CEA highly increased in BC patients in comparison with controls and used as an indicator for helping clinicians to assess course of therapy and disease progression and is considered as prognostic biomarker.