1Rizk A Elham, 2El-Noweam S, 3Khalil M, 1El-Kaffash M Dalal, and 1El-Berry M Iman.
Departments of 1Clinical Pathology, 2Oncology and Radiotherapy, and 3Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University.
Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant tumour among females. The main problem in the management of breast cancer is metastasis. Cell detachment from the primary tumour, which is the key step in the metastatic pathway, requires deregulation of the synthesis of components mediating cell-cell interaction, such as adhesion molecules. This study was conducted on thirty females with cancer breast in different clinical stages. Twenty cases were primary while ten cases were metastatic. Ten normal females were also included as a control. All patients were subjected to complete history taking and physical examination, confirmation of metastasis by X-ray and ultrasound. Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) was measured by immunoenzymometric assay. sICAM-1 level was significantly increased in breast cancer patients compared to the control group. Metastatic patients showed significantly higher levels than patients having primary non metastatic cancer. Significant correlation between sICAM-1 and clinical stages was found. It is concluded that sICAM-1 may play an important role in the metastatic process and can be used as an indicator of metastasis.