Advanced stage of breast cancer hoist alkaline phosphatase activity: risk factor for females in India

Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm affecting women in the western world with an average frequency of 1 in 11, developing the malignancy and it is second most common cancer in India. Variations in serum levels of biochemical parameters especially alkaline phosphatase (ALP) changes may be of great help in diagnosis of breast carcinoma. Serum ALP activity was assayed in 388 histopathologically proven breast cancer patients using spectrophotometric methods and monitored association with cancer stages. Breast cancer is a female-biased disease and our study was conducted in a group of female patients with mean age of 48.67 +/- 8.32 years. A significant increase in levels of ALP (809.65 +/- 145.97 IU/L) was observed in stage IV of the disease. The logistic regression study gave a significant result (P<0.001) when we compared the group of ALP level (>500 IU/L) with metastatic presentation. The present study besides being cost effective suggested the usefulness of ALP in differentiating breast cancer stages and metastasis.