Serum p53 Antibody is a Useful Biomarker for Long-Term Monitoring of Breast Cancer: Report of a Recurrent Case After Surgery

Serum p53 antibody (s-p53-Ab) is the most recently developed biomarker for breast cancer. Only a few studies have evaluated perioperative s-p53-Ab titers in patients with breast cancer. S-p53-Ab titers were monitored for over 4 years, during the perioperative period and after surgery, in a 75-year-old woman with clinical stage IIA (T2N0M0) breast cancer. The results of screening tests were negative for cancer antigen 15-3, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and National Cancer Center-Stomach-439; only s-p53-Ab level (10.1 U/ml) was positive preoperatively. S-p53-Ab titer remained positive (9.1 U/ml) after radical surgery. Pathologic analysis of surgically resected specimens showed a stage IIB tumor (pT2N1M0). Two years postoperatively, CEA level had increased to 5.9 ng/ml. At this time, liver metastases were detected by computed tomography. Neither chemotherapy nor hormone therapy were effective against this recurrence, and the patient died 3 years after surgery. Perioperative s-p53-Ab titer was a useful marker for long-term monitoring of residual cancer cells in a patient with stage IIA breast cancer.