Disorder of the immune and inflammatory response involving galectin-1, -3 and -7 in women with invasive breast cancer – potential importance in diagnosis and monitoring the course of the disease

Purpose As implications of galectins in cancer biology have been proved, it is essential to understand their role in immune and inflammatory response as well as investigate their potential clinical application. Therefore, the aim of this study was a comprehensive analysis of serum concentration and mRNA expression of galectins in patients with invasive breast cancer (BC). Methods Serum concentration of galectin-1, -2, -3, -4, -7, -8 and -9 in 60 women with invasive BC and 20 women with benign lesions were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The mRNA expression levels were assessed using real-time RT-qPCR reactions. Results The results showed significantly increased concentrations of galectin-3 and -7 in BC patients compared to control group. Moreover, significantly elevated concentrations of galectin-1, -3, -4, and -7 were observed in luminal BC subtypes. Then, the analysis at the transcript level performed for galectin-1, -3 and -7 revealed no significant differences in the expression of LGALS1 and LGALS7 mRNA levels between BC and control group. The expression of LGALS3 mRNA were not shown neither for BC patients, nor control group. Additionally, the combinatorial analysis of galectins with classic markers CA15–3 and CRP showed that combinations with galectin-1, -3 and -7 may improve the diagnostic performance of single classical markers in discriminating BC from benign lesions. Conclusions The results of the study may confirm the importance of galectins in the immune response and the development of inflammatory reactions in BC. The combination of galectin-1, -3 and -7 measurements with conventional markers has the potential to facilitate the differential diagnosis of patients with breast cancer and benign lesions. Furthermore, it may hold significance in the monitoring of the inflammatory process during the course of the disease. The demonstrated presence of galectins derived from cancer cells in the blood of women with breast cancer provides a basis for further research into their use as potential biomarkers, useful both in diagnosis and monitoring of the course of the disease and also creates opportunities for application in modern targeted therapy.