Surface-enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry to Detect Breast Cancer Markers in Tears and Serum.

BACKGROUND New biomarkers are needed to improve the early detection of breast cancer. This study describes the use of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (SELDI-TOF-MS) in serum and tear fluid. MATERIALS AND METHODS Blood and tear fluid of 10 women with breast cancer and 10 healthy age-matched women were screened for potential biomarkers. Blood samples and tear fluid were drawn prior to surgery. SELDI-TOF-MS were used for protein profiling with three different active surfaces of the protein chips. The data were analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques and artificial neural networks. RESULTS Complex protein and peptide patterns were found on all three surfaces. We identified the main proteins in tear fluid. Statistically significant differences in the protein pattern (p<0.001) were found between breast cancer patients and healthy controls. The diagnostic pattern differentiated cancer patients from controls with a specificity and sensitivity of approximately 90% in serum and tear fluid. CONCLUSION Protein chip technology facilitates the discovery of new and better biomarkers in breast cancer. It is a promising approach to analyse a large number of patients with high sensitivity and specificity. Analysing tear fluid could show some advantages.