Abstract:

Objective To investigate the role of plasma heat shock protein 90 alpha （Hsp90α） in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Methodse Plasma samples were collected from 289 patients with breast cancer,172 patients with benign breast disease and 90 healthy subjects （healthy control group）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used for determining Hsp90α levels,and the difference of Hsp90α levels among age,tumor size,clinical stage and lymphatic metastasis was analyzed. Results The level of Hsp90α in breast cancer group was higher than those in benign breast disease and healthy control groups（P<0.001）. There was no statistical significance for Hsp90α levels with different ages （P>0.05）. Hsp90α levels in patients with a tumor≥3 cm,inⅡ-Ⅳclinical stages and with lymphatic metastasis were higher than those with a tumor <3 cm （P=0.003）,inⅠclinical stage （P<0.001） and without lymphatic metastasis （P=0.031）,respectively. Conclusions Plasma Hsp90α might be a potential tumor marker for breast cancer,which plays a role in the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer.

Key words: Heat shock protein 90 alpha, Breast cancer, Tumor marker