CA15-3 IN PREDICTING AXILLARY LYMPH NODE METASTASIS IN BREAST CANCER

Dr. Md. Sidur Rahman Mollah*, Dr. Md. Abdul Quiyum, Dr. Niazur Rahman Molla, Dr. Md. Latiful Bari, Dr. Md. Amjad Hossain and Dr. Samia Mostary

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. A number of marker available among them CA15-3 levels provide useful information for diagnosis, treatment, assessing prognosis, the early detection of disease progression in breast cancer. Some author described rise of Ca 15-3 also associated with axillary lymph node metastasis. This was not established in our country. Objectives: Utility of CA15-3 in predicting metastasis of breast cancer to axillary lymph node. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed among 60 patients who underwent mastectomy with axillary dissection. Association seen between preoperative elevated CA 15-3 with histologically proven axillary lymph node metastasis postoperatively. Results- Majority (88.3%) patients are within normal CA15-3 level but only 11.7% patients showed raised CA15-3 level preoperatively among breast cancer patient. Mean ± SD (Min-Max) were 20.92 ± 20.38 (0.19-150.8) Those who have axillary lymph node positive, only 7 (13.2%) patients showed raised CA15-3 level but remaining 53 (86.8 %) patients showed normal CA15-3 level (statistically insignificant, p<0.584). Validity test of CA15-3 shows sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were 24.5%, 100%, 100%, 14.9% and 33.3% respectively. Conclusion: in our study, we found that raised CA15-3 level did not show significant association with lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer, CA 15-3, Axillary lymph node metastasis.