SERUM LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN BREAST CANCER

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer a multifactorial disease and one of the most dreaded of human diseases that claims the lives of thousands of women all over the globe every year. This may probably due to the fact that it remains undiagnosed at an early stage perhaps due to lack of awareness amongst the females and the fact that most cancers do not produce any symptoms until the tumour are too large to be removed surgically. Hence there is need to detect cancer at an early stage. AIM: Estimation of diagnostic importance and prognostication of serum Lactate dehydrogenase in cases on breast cancer. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: An observational study was conducted in Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha which included 44 confirmed cases of carcinoma breast and 44 normal healthy females admitted in AVBRH in a span of 2 years. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Determination of serum LDH was done using TC matrix analyser. The values of LDH were obtained on presentation, 21 days after intervention, 2 months after intervention and 6 months after intervention. The values of LDH on presentation in both the groups were compared. The decline in the values of LDH were observed with the due course of treatment. Chisquare test and Student's Unpaired and paired t test were used for statistical analysis. RESULT: The mean Lactate dehydrogenase on presentation was in study group and control group was 564.38 +/- 219.41 IU/L and 404.18 +/- 101.32 IU/L respectively (p<0.05). The levels of Lactate dehydrogenase decreased with due course of treatment. The levels of LDH were proportionate to the stage of disease. CONCLUSION: The results of the study concludes cost effective usefulness of serum Lactate dehydrogenase in early detection of breast cancer and to assess its prognostic importance which can be done in smaller laboratories. The traditional model of DS-