The Osteopontin Tissue Level as a Breast Cancer Biomarker in Females After Mastectomy Measured by the Capillary Gel Electrophoresis Technique

A new diagnostic and prognostic biomarker may be of value in the diagnostic panel, especially among cancer diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the osteopontin (OPN) level measurable in the tumour tissue in females with diagnosed breast cancer after mastectomy, and to confirm its suitability to serve as a prognostic biomarker of the cancer. The OPN tissue levels and the classical risk factors were determined in twelve females. Tissue samples were collected and analysed by the capillary gel electrophoresis technique after previous appropriate preparation of the samples. A comparison between the OPN average values in the tissue of healthy versus cancer patients after mastectomy was performed using statistical univariate tests (ANOVA, t-test) and multivariate analysis (principal component analysis, PCA). The results demonstrate that the median values of the OPN in the tumour centre cancer tissue (10.940 μg/g; within the range of 3.772-23.648) are significantly higher compared to healthy cells (5.173 μg/g; within the range of 0.838- 17.583). Moreover, the increased tissue OPN level was correlated with the cancer stage. In this study osteopontin is presented as a possible candidate for a breast cancer biomarker. Further research is needed to obtain information on cancer signalling by means of the OPN threshold, and indication of its advanced stage.