[The relationship between homocysteine, coagulation dysfunction and breast cancer risk]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Hematology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Homocysteine (HCY) and coagulation function are implicated in various diseases.
• Understanding their role in breast cancer development and progression is crucial for risk assessment and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between homocysteine (HCY) levels, coagulation function indices, and the risk of breast cancer.
• To examine the association of these markers with clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 333 female breast cancer patients and 225 controls with benign breast conditions.
• Measurement of serum homocysteine (HCY), fibrinogen (Fbg), protein C (PC), D-dimer (D-D), prothrombin time (PT), PT(INR), α2-antiplasmin (α2-AP), and antithrombin III (AT-III).
• Statistical analyses included t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, chi-square tests, and Logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Breast cancer patients exhibited significantly higher levels of HCY, Fbg, PC, and D-D, and lower levels of PT, PT(INR), and α2-AP compared to controls.
• Elevated HCY and D-D were observed in both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer patients.
• Specific coagulation markers correlated with tumor stage (T stage) and lymph node metastasis (N stage), with altered levels in advanced stages and metastatic disease.

Conclusions:

• Homocysteine (HCY) and abnormal coagulation function are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
• These hemostatic markers also demonstrate significant correlations with key clinicopathological features, including tumor stage and lymph node metastasis.