Exploring the Role of Hematological Markers and Blood Groups in Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is considered one of the most common types of cancer among women worldwide, with 2.3 million new cases reported in 2020. In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer has the highest incidence among women, representing 31.4% of all cancer types. Utilization of hematological laboratory parameters can serve as diagnostic tools for identification and monitoring of the progress of breast cancer. For this reason, this study aimed to inves-tigate the effectiveness of hematological parameters, particularly CBC and ABO blood groups, in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Methods: This case-control retrospective study was carried out on female patients that visited King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from January 2020 through December 2023. Descriptive analysis of CBC reports and ABO blood groups between breast cancer patients and normal subjects was carried out with 95% confidence intervals being calculated. Significant differences were reported at p-values of less than 0.05.

Results: While the study showed several significant differences in hematological parameters between patients and normal subjects, their diagnostic value as standalone biomarkers for breast cancer is limited. However, the strongest potential diagnostic markers were observed in MCV and MCH, which showed AUC = 0.73 for each, and RDW with AUC = 0.65. Collectively, when combined in a predictive index, they showed a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 66%, with overall accuracy of 71.3%. These tests (i.e. MCV, MCH, and RDW) are considered useful and complementary rather than for them to be used as standalone tests for diagnosis of breast cancer. Therefore, they can be useful as a preliminary indicator with the presence of clinical indications. The relationship between ABO blood groups and breast cancer showed limited diagnostic value with no significant differences.

Conclusions: Despite the significant differences observed in some hematological parameters, CBC and ABO blood grouping cannot be trustworthy for diagnostic purposes alone in patients with breast cancer. Combining hemato-logical laboratory markers with other clinical and diagnostic data is crucial for improving diagnostic reliability. This work emphasizes the complexity of cancer diagnosis and the need for further research to develop comprehensive predictive models.