Pre- and postoperative aminoacidemia in breast cancer: a study vs. matched healthy subjects

Various alterations of aminoacidemia have been described during breast cancer. The aim of this study was first to establish the specific modifications of plasma-free amino acid concentrations by a comparative study of 19 patients with mammary tumors and 18 healthy volunteers, and, second, to determine the evolution of aminoacidemia after surgical tumor removal. Aminoacidemia was determined the day before (D0), and then five days, one month (M1), and six months after surgical removal of the tumor, and a single determination was performed in control subjects. Plasma levels (mumol/L) of serine and glutamate were higher in cancer-bearing women at D0 (respectively, 124 +/- 3 and 68 +/- 7) than in healthy volunteers (respectively, 110 +/- 6 and 48 +/- 5). Surgical tumor removal induced a normalization of aminoacidemia (in mumol/L at D5: serine: 114 +/- 4; at M1: glutamate: 55 +/- 6 Non Significant (NS) from values of healthy subjects). Among the various patterns reported for breast cancer, we confirm one of those described by Cascino in 1995, and we show that these levels revert to normal after tumor surgical removal.