Assessment of Plasma Soluble Human Leukocyte Antigen-G as a Prognostic Marker in Post-Chemotherapy Breast Cancer Patients in Gaza Strip

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether plasma soluble human leukocyte antigen-G (sHLA-G) can be used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and follow-up of breast cancer in post-chemotherapy patients in Gaza strip.
Patients and methods: The study population was divided into two groups: 60 women with breast cancer and receiving chemotherapy (post- group) and 60 women with breast cancer who did not receive chemotherapy (pre- group). The control group consisted of 60 healthy women. Cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were analyzed using the Axsym Immunoassay system.
Results: Plasma sHLA-G levels were significantly higher in breast cancer patients compared to healthy controls (p<0.001). Area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of sHLA-G for discriminating patients with breast cancer (n=120) from the control group (n=60) was 0.919 (95% CI=0.882 - 0.956) and was smaller than those of CA15-3 (0.998, 95% CI=0.996-1.00) and CEA (0.985, 95% CI=0.973-0.997). The ROC curves of sHLA-G, CEA, and CA15-3 for differentiating the group of patient who did not receive chemotherapy yet (n=60) and the group of patient who received anti-cancer treatment (n=60) were 0.998, 0.781 and 0.698, respectively (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study findings provide evidence in further support for the application of sHLA-G as a biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and follow-up of breast cancer therapy.