Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Communication
  • Published:

Plasma deoxycholic acid concentration is elevated in postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed breast cancer

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 925–927 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: High concentrations of plasma deoxycholic acid (DCA) are found in human breast cyst fluid and it has been hypothesised that this may be related to risk of breast cancer. The aim of this pilot study was to ascertain whether plasma bile acid concentrations were greater in women with breast cancer.

Design: A case–control study comparing postmenopausal women with breast cancer with healthy controls was conducted.

Subjects: Twenty Caucasian postmenopausal breast cancer patients were recruited at the time of diagnosis together with 20 healthy controls matched for age and body mass index. Exclusion criteria included any treatment for breast cancer, use of hormone replacement therapy in the last 12 months, diabetes mellitus, a history of liver or gall bladder disease or abnormal liver function.

Measurements: Fasting plasma bile acid concentrations were determined by gas–liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Results: The mean plasma DCA concentration was 52% higher (P=0.012) in patients with breast cancer compared with controls.

Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that DCA may be involved in the aetiology of breast cancer.

Sponsorship: V Costarelli was the recipient of a scholarship from Harokopion Institution, Athens.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arias IM, Boyer JL, Fausto N, Jacoby WB, Schachter DA, Shafritz . 1994 The Liver: Biology and Pathobiology 3rd edn Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins Chapter 38

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker PR, Wilton JC, Jones CE, Stenzel DJ, Watson N, Smith GJ . 1992 Bile acids influence the growth, oestrogen receptor and oestrogen-regulated proteins of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells Br. J. Cancer 65: 566–572

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clayton PT, Muller DP . 1980 A simplified gas–liquid chromatographic methods for the estimation of non-sulphated plasma bile acids Clin. Chim. Acta 105: 401–405

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Costarelli V, Sanders TAB . 2001 Acute effects of dietary fat composition on postprandial plasma bile acid and cholecystokinin concentrations in healthy premenopausal women Br. J. Nutr. 86: 471–477

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hill MJ, Goddard P, Williams RE . 1971 Gut bacteria and aetiology of cancer of the breast Lancet 2: 472–473

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Javitt NB, Budai K, Miller DG, Cahan AC, Raju U, Levitz M . 1994 Breast–gut connection: origin of chenodeoxycholic acid in breast cyst fluid Lancet 343: 633–635

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kawasumi H, Kaibara N, Koga S . 1988 Cocarcinogenic activity of bile acids in the chemical transformation of C3H/10T1/2 fibroblasts in vitro Oncology 45: 192–196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis SJ, Heaton KW . 1999 The metabolic consequences of slow colonic transit Am. J. Gastroenterol 94: 2010–2016

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murray WR, Blackwood A, Calman KC, Mackay C . 1980 Faecal bile acids and Clostridia in patients with breast cancer Br. J. Cancer 42: 856–860

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Owen RW, Henly PJ, Thompson MH, Hill MJ . 1986 Steroids and cancer: faecal bile acid screening for early detection of cancer risk J. Steroid Biochem. 24: 391–394

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papatestas AE, Panvelliwalia D, Tarter PI, Miller S, Pertselmidis D, Aufses AH . 1982 Faecel steroid metabolites and breast cancer risk Cancer 49: 1201–1205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raju U, Levitz M, Javitt NB . 1990 Bile acids in human breast cyst fluid: the identification of lithocholic acid J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 70: 1030–1034

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy S, Sanders TAB, Owen RW, Thompson MH . 1998 Faecal pH, bile acid and sterol concentrations in premenopausal Indian and white vegetarians compared with white omnivores Br. J. Nutr. 79: 495–500

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salen G, Batta AK . 1999 Bile acid abnormalities in cholestatic liver diseases Gastroenterol. Clin. N. Am. 28: 173–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler AE . 1998 Obesity and risk of cancer in women Zentralblatt Gynakol. 120: 235–240

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Faassen A, Ochsenkuhn T, Houterman S, van der Ploeg EM, Bueno-de-Mesquita BH, Ocke MC, Bayerdorffer E, Janknegt RA . 1997 Plasma deoxycholic acid is related to deoxycholic acid in faecal water Cancer Lett. 19: 293–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Munster IP, Tangerman A, Nagengast FM . 1994 Effect of resistant starch on colonic fermentation, bile acid metabolism, and mucosal proliferation Dig. Dis. Sci. 39: 834–842

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watabe J, Bernstein H . 1985 The mutagenicity of bile acids using a fluctuation test Mut. Res. 158: 45–51

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the women who agreed to participate in this study. We also thank Professor Ian Fentiman and Mr Dudley Sinnett from Guy's and Charing Cross Hospitals respectively, for their valuable assistance in the recruitment of the breast cancer patients.

Author information

Author notes

  1. V Costarelli: Guarantor: V Costarelli.

  2. V Costarelli and TAB Sanders: Contributors: V Costarelli was the Principle Investigator for the study and was responsible for the study design and the collection and analysis of all blood samples. TAB Sanders contributed to the data analysis and interpretation. Both authors contributed to the preparation of the manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition Food and Health Research Centre, King's College London, London, UK

    V Costarelli & TAB Sanders

Authors
  1. V Costarelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. TAB Sanders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V Costarelli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Costarelli, V., Sanders, T. Plasma deoxycholic acid concentration is elevated in postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 925–927 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601396

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601396

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links