HUNT FOR BIOMARKER OF CARCINOMA BREAST: ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES.

Background: Carcinoma breast is the second most common malignancy among women which evolves silently and ends in devastation. Tumor cell death induces antinuclear antibody (ANA) production that can be measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hence this study was undertaken to determine the utility of ANA ELISA in early diagnosis of carcinoma breast. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 3 groups of participants who were age and gender matched. Each group had 30. Group A with carcinoma breast, group B with carcinoma of body sites other than breast and group C had normal, healthy people. From each participant, 5ml venous blood was collected. ANA IgG ELISA test was performed for all the serum samples. Results: ANA IgG was detected in 14 (15.55%) patients. It was detected in 8 (26.66%) of group A, 3 (10%) in group B and 3 (10%) in group C. ANA positivity among carcinoma breast patients was statistically significant p <0.05 (0.0397). Conclusion: Carcinoma breast patients had a higher ANA seropositivity (26.66%) compared to other two groups. ANA tests for multiple autoantigens along with other tools such as mammography can diagnose carcinoma breast at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]