The Potential of Serum CTHRC1 Expression Changes for Early Breast Cancer Detection: A Clinical Investigation

Mombeyni, Mahsa; Mahmoudian-Sani, Mohammad-Reza; Sabour, Hossein; Karimpourian, Hossein; Jorjani, Eisa

doi:10.30491/jabr.2025.483014.1792

The Potential of Serum CTHRC1 Expression Changes for Early Breast Cancer Detection: A Clinical Investigation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mahsa Mombeyni ¹

Mohammad-Reza Mahmoudian-Sani ²

Hossein Sabour ³

Hossein Karimpourian ²

Eisa Jorjani ¹

¹ Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Gonbad Kavous, Gonbad Kavous, Iran

² Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathy Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

³ Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources, University of Gonbad Kavous, Gonbad Kavous, Iran

10.30491/jabr.2025.483014.1792

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing-1 Protein (CTHRC1) in the serum of breast cancer patients, addressing the need for non-invasive biomarkers and assessing its diagnostic potential for early detection of breast cancer.
Materials and Methods: This case-control study involved 24 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and 24 healthy controls. RNA was extracted from serum and converted into complementary DNA (cDNA), and the expression levels of CTHRC1 were measured. The significance of differences in gene expression was analyzed using GenEx software.
Results: Most patients exhibited metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes and were classified as stage I. There was no statistically significant difference in CTHRC1 expression between the breast cancer patients and the control group. The Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) for serum CTHRC1 levels was 0.601. The sensitivity and specificity of CTHRC1 were 54.16% and 55.14 %, respectively.
Conclusions: While the findings of this study did not align with those from studies on breast cancer tissue, it is anticipated that the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of the ROC will improve with an increased sample size. The majority of our patients had axillary metastasis and were in stage I. Previous studies suggest that CTHRC1 expression is elevated in advanced stages of metastasis, both in serum and tissue. To establish the diagnostic value of CTHRC1, larger-scale clinical studies with more participants are warranted.

Keywords

Breast Cancer

Neoplasm Metastasis

Diagnosis

Tumor biomarker

Gene Expression Regulation Neoplastic

Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing-1 Protein