[Detection and significance of tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) in breast cancer patients]

20 female with breast cancer aged between 44 and 72 years have been investigated for tissue-polypeptid-antigen (TPA). 20 females without any disorders of the breast were included in our control group. Their age ranged between 22 and 48 years. Patients with breast cancer have been treated by limited-radical-mastectomy according to Auchincloss-Madden followed by axilla dissection and chemotherapy. Cancer has been typed pathohistologically, graded and classified using TNM-nomenclature of maligne tumours. So we can characterize our patients as "pT2N1M0". We estimated TPA preoperativ upto 24 months postoperatively. Our results showed an early and significant increase of TPA in 5 patients suffering a recurrence.