Plasma-free Amino Acid Profile is Beneficial for Breast Cancer Screening in Women With Dense Breasts

AminoIndex™ Cancer Screening (AICS breast) was developed as a breast cancer screening test using multivariate analysis of plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiles. This study investigated the relationship between the AICS breast rank and breast density on mammography (MMG) for the detection of breast cancer.

MMG and blood samples were obtained preoperatively from 224 patients with breast cancer who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2017 and 2019. PFAA concentration was measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the AICS breast and AICS ranks were calculated. Detection rates were compared between MMG (categories 3-5) and AICS breasts (ranks B and C) according to breast density.

Breast density was classified as extremely dense in 9.4%, heterogeneously dense in 48.2%, scattered in 29.9%, and fatty in 12.5% of patients. Dense breasts (extremely dense and heterogeneously dense) represented 57.6%. The overall detection rate by MMG was 82.6% and significantly lower in patients with dense breasts (74.4%) compared to non-dense breasts (93.7%). The overall detection rate by AICS breast was 50.0%, with no difference between patients with dense breasts (45.7%) and those with non-dense breasts (55.8%). The combination of MMG and AICS breast increased the detection rate to 91.5% overall, 88.3% in patients with dense breasts, and 95.8% in those with non-dense breasts.

This study demonstrated that the detection rate of AICS breast was not associated with breast density, unlike MMG. Adding AICS breast to MMG may be beneficial for breast cancer screening in patients with dense breasts.