Circulating antibodies to p16 protein-derived peptides in breast cancer.

Abstract

Overexpression of the p16 protein has been reported in breast cancer and may trigger the secretion of antibodies against itself. Circulating anti-p16 antibodies that were detected with a recombinant protein have been reported in breast cancer. The present study was designed to determine whether the levels of circulating IgG antibody to p16 protein-derived linear antigens are altered in breast cancer. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed in-house to determine circulating IgG against peptide antigens derived from the p16 protein in 152 female breast cancer patients and 160 healthy female subjects. The Student's T-test revealed that breast cancer patients exhibited significantly higher levels of anti-p16 IgG antibody compared to control subjects (T=2.02, P=0.045). In addition, ductal cancer appeared to be the main type contributing to the increased levels of circulating anti-p16 antibodies (T=2.08, P=0.038). Of all four stages of breast cancer, stage I was associated with the highest levels of IgG antibody (T=2.02, P=0.045) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that the area under the ROC curve was 0.74 (95% confidence interval: 0.65-083) and that the sensitivity against a specificity of 90% was 30.3%. Therefore, the levels of circulating IgG antibody to the p16 protein may be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

• Authors: Cairen Chen, Yile Huang, Cong Zhang, Tong Liu, H E Zheng, Shuli Wan, Shilong Sun, Qingyong Meng, Yubing Chen, Jun Wei
• Journal: Molecular and clinical oncology (Mol Clin Oncol) Vol. 3 Issue 3 Pg. 591-594 (May 2015) ISSN: 2049-9450 [Print] England
• PMID: 26137272 (Publication Type: Journal Article)