Abstract
Serum from one hundred and ten breast cancer patients and thirty healthy female volunteers, were prospectively collected and evaluated for serum levels of Shh and IL-6 using human Shh and IL-6 specific enzyme-linked immunoassays. All patients were regularly monitored for event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). Overall outcome analysis was based on serum Shh and IL-6 levels. In patients with progressive metastatic BC, both serum Shh and IL-6 concentrations were elevated in 44% (29 of 65) and 63% (41 of 65) of patients, respectively, at a statistically significant level [Shh (p = 0.0001) and IL-6 (p = 0.0001)] compared to the low levels in healthy volunteers. Serum levels tended to increase with metastatic progression and lymph node positivity. High serum Shh and IL-6 levels were associated with poor EFS and OS opposite to the negative or lower levels in serum Shh and IL-6. The elevated levels of both serum Shh and IL-6 were mainly observed in BC patients who had a significantly higher risk of early recurrence and bone metastasis, and associated with a worse survival for patients with progressive metastatic BC. Further studies are warranted for validating these biomarkers as prognostic tools in a larger patient cohort and in a longer follow-up study.