Diagnostic Value of Adenosine Deaminase Activity in Benign and Malignant Breast Tumors

The present study was carried out to evaluate the activity of adenosine
deaminase (ADA) and its isoenzymes ADA1 and ADA2 activities as a diagnostic
tool in patients with benign and malignant breast disease.
Methods. Total ADA, ADA1, and ADA2 activities of serum and tumor were analyzed
using 58 subjects including 20 patients with benign breast disease (BBD), 34 patients
with primary breast cancer, and 20 patients as normal control subjects.
Results. The mean values for total ADA and ADA2 activities in the serum and tumor of
BBD were significantly higher than those of healthy controls ( p !0.01). Furthermore,
the mean values for total ADA and ADA2 activities of patients with breast cancer were
significantly higher than those of the benign group ( p !0.005) and healthy subjects
( p !0.0001).
Conclusions. Based on the present results, it is concluded that the assessment of total
ADA and ADA2 activities may be used as a reliable test for differential diagnosis of
benign and malignant breast disease