Serum Levels of Semaphorin 4C in Breast Cancer – Assessment of Prognostic Value and Potential for Monitoring Surgical Treatment Response

Abstract

Introduction. The global burden of breast cancer (BC) has encouraged ceaseless research in exploring novel biomarkers, aiming to optimize BC management and prognosis.

Objective. To explore the prognostic value of serum SEMA4C and investigate its potential for monitoring the response to surgical treatment in patients with BC.

Materials and methods. Seventy-five (75) pre-treatment patients from the Clinic of Surgery with invasive BC without any initial treatment prior to blood sample collection were included in the study. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure serum levels of SEMA4C in human serum. Participants were divided based on pathological stage, nodal involvement and histological grade. Follow-up blood samples of 35 patients who underwent surgery were collected to investigate if SEMA4C could measure the response to surgical treatment.

Results. Postoperative serum levels of SEMA4C were significantly lower than preoperative levels (p p < 0.001). Regarding prognostic value, no statistically significant difference was observed in terms of the pathological stage (p = 0.181), lymph node (LN) status (p = 0.752), and histological grade (p = 0.412).

Conclusion. According to our study, serum SEMA4C levels did not differ significantly in terms of pathological stage, LN status and histological grade. Notably, postoperative serum levels of SEMA4C were significantly decreased after surgical treatment compared to preoperative values, which underscores the potential of SEMA4C as a putative candidate biomarker for monitoring response to therapy in patients with BC. However, additional research is mandatory to validate the role of SEMA4C in BC.