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C-reactive Protein in Nipple Aspirate Fluid Associated With Gail Model Factors

College of Graduate Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, LithgowNP{at}aol.com

Adeline Nyamathi, PhD, ANP, FAAN

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Genetics University of California, Los Angeles

David Elashoff, PhD

School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles

Otoniel Martinez-Maza, PhD

School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles

Chandice Covington, PhD, RN, CPNP

College of Nursing at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Background: The majority of breast cancers originate in the epithelial lining of the breast ductal system. Premalignant cell damage in this lining may produce biochemical signals that deliver inflammatory proteins to the site. The presence of C-reactive protein (CRP) in nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) may reflect an inflammatory state indicative of a premalignant breast microenvironment. This study ascertained CRP's presence in NAF and evaluated if risk factors, as identified by the Gail model, were associated with NAF CRP levels among healthy women. Design: NAF CRP levels were assayed in 59 women. Results: CRP was present in NAF and significantly (p = .04) and positively related to breast cancer risk as predicted by the Gail model. Conclusion: CRP is differentially present in NAF and varies by Gail model risk factors. CRP in NAF holds promise as a noninvasive biomarker that detects a precarcinogenic breast ductal microenvironment and may contribute to the diagnosis of breast cancer early in the course of the disease when prognosis is most favorable.

Key Words: biomarkers • breast cancer • C-reactive protein • Gail model • inflammatory proteins • precancerous

Biological Research For Nursing, Vol. 9, No. 2, 108-116 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1099800407306426


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