Serum levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in patients with breast cancer and its clinical significance

Objective To study the relationship between serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) levels and clinical features in the patients with breast cancer. Methods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the concentration of MIF, IL-8 and VEGF in sera of 54 patients with breast cancer and 46 healthy controls from October 2006 to March 2007.The relationship between serum MIF, IL-8 and VEGF levels and clinical features was analyzed. Results The levels of MIF, IL-8 and VEGF in the sera of patients with breast cancer were significantly increased compared to healthy controls(P<0.05). The levels of MIF in breast cancer were significantly correlated with clinical progression pathology stages(P<0.05) and lymph node metastasis(P<0.05). Serum MIF levels correlated positively with serum IL-8 levels (r=0.612, P<0.01). Conclusion MIF may be involved in the progression of breast cancer and serum MIF may be a useful biological marker of tumor invasiveness for patients with breast cancer. Key words: Breast cancer; MIFL VEGF; IL-8