Tissue and serum MUC1 mucin detection in breast cancer patients

Tumor MUC1 expression as well as levels of MUC1, MUC1 circulating immune complexes (MUC1-CIC) and free antibodies against MUC1 (IgG and IgM-MUC1) were evaluated in 70 breast cancer patients with different stages of disease. Controls included: 135 serum samples from healthy women, normal mammary tissue samples (n=7) and benign breast disease specimens (n=6). In all assays, pre- and post-vaccination serum samples from breast cancer patients belonging to a vaccination protocol developed at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ( New York, USA) were included as controls. Serum MUC1 was measured through Cancer Associated Serum Antigen test and CA15-3 test. Employing ELISA, MUC1-CIC-IgG/M were measured with either C595 or SM3 monoclonal antibodies (MAb) as catchers and also free antibodies against MUC1 (IgG and IgM) using 100mer peptide as catcher. Employing multivariate statistical analysis, results were correlated with age, tumor type, stage of disease and grade of differentiation. By quantitative immunohistochemistry using three anti-MUC1 core protein MAbs (C595, HMFG2 and SM3), tumor MUC1 was detected in 60/70 (86%) breast cancer specimens which reacted with at least one of these MAbs. High MUC1 serum levels were detected in 14/67 (21%); IgG and IgM anti-MUC1 antibodies were found elevated in 32 and 14%, respectively, while IgG-MUC1-CIC-measured with C595 in 42% and IgM-MUC1-CIC in 54%; finally, SM3 was positive in 43 and 18%, respectively. Results of these studies demonstrate that in a group of breast cancer patients, MUC1 was detected both in tissue specimens as well as free in serum samples; furthermore, MUC1 can also circulate complexed with IgG and IgM antibodies; thus an accurate measurement should include free and complexed forms. On the other hand, immunohistochemical studies on breast cancer tissues may contribute to reveal different MUC1 glycoforms.