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BMC Cancer
Published in: BMC Cancer 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Serum irisin levels are lower in patients with breast cancer: association with disease diagnosis and tumor characteristics

Authors: Xeni Provatopoulou, Georgia P. Georgiou, Eleni Kalogera, Vasileios Kalles, Maira A. Matiatou, Ioannis Papapanagiotou, Alexandros Sagkriotis, George C. Zografos, Antonia Gounaris

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

Irisin is a recently discovered myokine, involved in the browning of white adipose tissue. To date, its function has been mainly associated with energy homeostasis and metabolism, and it has been proposed as a promising therapeutic target for obesity and metabolic diseases. This is the first study investigating the role of irisin in human breast cancer.

Methods

Participants included one hundred and one (101) female patients with invasive ductal breast cancer and fifty one (51) healthy women. Serum levels of irisin, leptin, adiponectin and resistin were quantified in duplicates by ELISA. Serum levels of CEA, CA 15–3 and Her-2/neu were measured on an immunology analyzer. The association between irisin and breast cancer was examined by logistic regression analysis. The feasibility of serum irisin in discriminating breast cancer patients was assessed by ROC curve analysis. Potential correlations with demographic, anthropometric and clinical parameters, with markers of adiposity and with breast tumor characteristics were also investigated.

Results

Serum levels of irisin were significantly lower in breast cancer patients compared to controls (2.47 ± 0.57 and 3.24 ± 0.66 μg/ml, respectively, p < 0.001). A significant independent association between irisin and breast cancer was observed by univariate and multivariate analysis (p < 0.001). It was estimated that a 1 unit increase in irisin levels leads to a reduction in the probability of breast cancer by almost 90 %. Irisin could effectively discriminate breast cancer patients at a cut-off point of 3.21 μg/ml, with 62.7 % sensitivity and 91.1 % specificity. A positive association with tumor stage and marginal associations with tumor size and lymph node metastasis were observed (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions

Our novel findings implicate irisin in breast cancer and suggest its potential application as a new diagnostic indicator of the presence of disease.
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Metadata
Title
Serum irisin levels are lower in patients with breast cancer: association with disease diagnosis and tumor characteristics
Authors
Xeni Provatopoulou
Georgia P. Georgiou
Eleni Kalogera
Vasileios Kalles
Maira A. Matiatou
Ioannis Papapanagiotou
Alexandros Sagkriotis
George C. Zografos
Antonia Gounaris
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-015-1898-1

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