Increased serum concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides in the progression of breast cancer

The course of serum concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides was investigated in patients with advanced breast cancer. The patients studied were divided into two groups according to their clinical status: group-I consisted of 51 patients who already had metastases at the start of the investigation, but progressed further during the time of observation; group-II consisted of 14 patients in remission who experienced recurrence of disease while under observation. In group-I, 28 patients (54.9%) were found to have normal serum triglyceride levels at the beginning of the observation period; 22 patients (78.6%) from this group experienced a significant (P<0.0001) increase above the normal range upon further disease progression. Similarly, serum cholesterol levels were normal in 32 patients (62.8%) at the start of the investigation, but increased significantly (P<0.0001) above the normal range upon disease progression. In group-II, 8 patients (57.2%) had normal serum triglyceride levels at the beginning of the observation period, but the levels inreased in 4 patients (50%) significantly (P<0.005) upon the occurrence of metastases. Within the same group, a significant increase (P<0.001) of initially normal serum cholesterol levels was found in 4 (44.9%) out of 9 patients. In summary, a rise in serum levels of triglycerides and/or cholesterol should receive increased attention and could indicate progression or recurrence of breast cancer.