RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: M30 and M65 levels reflect tumor cell activity in patients with epithelial cancer. Cytokeratin 18 is one of the cell skeletal elements. M30 is a apoptotic marker of cytokeratin 18. M65 levels are both an apoptosis and a necrosis marker. The aim of our study was to determine the predictive value of M30 and M65 levels in neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 41 patients with breast cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included. Following 4 cycles of chemotherapy with anthracycline containing regimen, patients received paclitaxel treatment for 12 weeks. Blood was collected from the patients before chemotherapy and on day 21, after the 2nd, 4th, and 8th cycles. M30 and M65 levels were measured with the ELISA method. RESULTS: While there was an increase in M30 and M65 levels at the 4th cycle (P < 0.05), levels were decreased after the 8th cycle. In addition, there was no significant relationship among M30, M65 levels, and prognostic factors such as ER, PR, c-Erb-2, Ki-67, pathologic-T, pathologic-N, and chemotherapy responses. CONCLUSION: M30 and M65 levels are not of predictive values of response to breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Nevertheless, M30 and M65 levels increased when patients kept receiving anthracycline containing chemotherapy.