Assessment of tumor activity in breast cancer patients: A study of serum lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin and alkaline phosphatase levels at a tertiary care hospital

Carcinoma of breast is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality. A hallmark of breast cancer is metabolic pathway reprogramming. It enables progression, metastasis and resistance to conventional therapies. Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) is upregulated in rapidly growing tumours to maintain glycolysis as an alternative source of energy. Serum ferritin level perturbations are associated with rapid progression by promoting neoplastic cell transformation. Elevated alkaline phosphatase levels indicate a heavy tumour burden and distant metastasis. Cross sectional study was done on 60 patients diagnosed with breast cancer admitted to Surgery Department at K R Hospital, Mysore between June and August 2022 and were subjected to TNM staging. 2 ml of venous blood sample was collected and analyzed for LDH, Ferritin and ALP by enzymatic method using fully automated analyzer. The results are expressed as Mean ± Standard deviation. p<0.001 is considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using One Way ANOVA and independent sample ‘t’ test. The present study shows statistically significant increase in serum LDH, ferritin and ALP levels in patients with metastatic breast cancer with mean standard deviation of 505.53 ± 110.50 (U/L), 902.01 ± 257.57 (ng/ml) and 344.68 ± 91.86 (U/L) respectively. The values of LDH, ferritin and ALP is significantly increased statistically in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Owing to the need of detecting cancer onset and progression from the early stages in areas especially where sophisticated imaging and analysis are not easily available, the identification of blood-based biomarkers is appealing.> <0.001 is considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using One Way ANOVA and independent sample ‘t’ test. The present study shows statistically significant increase in serum LDH, ferritin and ALP levels in patients with metastatic breast cancer with mean standard deviation of 505.53 ± 110.50 (U/L), 902.01 ± 257.57 (ng/ml) and 344.68 ± 91.86 (U/L) respectively. The values of LDH, ferritin and ALP is significantly increased statistically in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Owing to the need of detecting cancer onset and progression from the early stages in areas especially where sophisticated imaging and analysis are not easily available, the identification of blood-based biomarkers is appealing.