Comparison of Preoperative and Postoperative Serum Galectin-3 Levels in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer

Objectives: Galectin-3 (Gal-3) a 31-kDa dimeric galactose-binding protein – is a member of the lectin family, and can be found in intracellular and extracellular locations where it interacts with glycoproteins, cell surface molecules and extracellular matrix proteins.The present study compares the preoperative and postoperative serum Gal-3 levels of patients with newly diagnosed non-metastatic breast cancer with the serum Gal-3 levels of healthy controls. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from the patients at two time points: one preoperatively and the other 1 month after surgery during an outpatient control visit.The study data were analyzed statistically using SPSS for Windows, Version 20.0. A p<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
Results: In a comparison of preoperative and postoperative serum Galectin-3 levels of the patients with newly diagnosed non-metastatic breast cancer, the mean preoperative serum Gal-3 level was 21.76 and the mean postoperative serum Gal-3 level was 21.20. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.690). The mean serum Gal-3 level was 19.88 in the healthy control group, and a comparison of this with the preoperative serum Gal-3 levels of the newly diagnosed non-metastatic breast cancer patients revealed no statistically significant difference, with a p=0.477. Conclusion: The study found no correlation between serum Galectin-3 levels and the presence of a mass lesion, indicating that Galectin-3 is expressed independently of the presence of a tumor in breast cancer. In conclusion, current evidence fails to allow a comprehensive understanding of the role of Galectin-3 in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, highlighting the need for further research in this area.

Keywords: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Galectin-3