The clinical signature of genetic variants and serum levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in Egyptian breast cancer patients - Abstract and study results

Sep 21, 2026

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This study examines macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) as a cytokine involved in innate and adaptive immunity and cancer pathogenesis, focusing on unresolved reports about MIF polymorphisms and breast cancer risk. Serum MIF protein levels and genetic variants (MIF rs1049829 and rs755622) were evaluated in a case–control cohort of 133 treatment-naïve Egyptian breast cancer patients and 126 healthy controls. Results show higher serum MIF in cases, diagnostic performance at a defined cut-off, links with progesterone receptor status, and an association of rs1049829 with a protective effect. The findings support serum MIF as a promising tumor marker and rs1049829 as a candidate protective variant.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Breast cancer burden and need for early diagnosis

Inflammation, immunity, and cancer risk

MIF biology and relevance to breast cancer

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment (2024) 208:57–66 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-024-07393-9](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-024-07393-9) The clinical signature of genetic variants and serum levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in Egyptian breast cancer patients Mahmoud A. Seliem1,2 · Ahmed M. Mohamadin1 · Mohamed I. Kotb El‑Sayed3 · Yahia Ismail4 · Ahmed A. El‑Husseiny1,5 Received: 23 November 2023 / Accepted: 30 May 2024 / Published online: 25 June 2024 © The Author(s) 2024 Abstract Purpose Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an integral cytokine for the modulation of both innate and adaptive immunity and is involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. However, conflicting findings on the relationship between MIF polymorphisms and breast cancer (BC) have been reported in earlier research. We investigated the clinical value of serum MIF levels and the association between MIF rs1049829 and rs755622 variants with their serum levels and propensity to develop BC. Methods A total of 133 treatment-naïve Egyptian BC females and 126 apparently healthy controls were matriculated in this case–control study. The serum MIF protein levels were quantified by ELISA, whereas the genotyping was executed utilizing the TaqMan® allelic discrimination assay. Results A significant increase in the serum MIF level in BC cases was observed in comparison to control subjects (P < 0.0001), with a diagnostic potential to discriminate BC with 92.5% sensitivity and 73.7% specificity at a cut-off value >9.47 ng/mL. Besides, a significant difference in serum MIF level was observed in BC cases with progesterone receptor (PR) negativity compared to those with PR positivity (P = 0.046). Moreover, a significant association was depicted between the rs1049829 variant of MIF gene and the protective effect against BC meanwhile the rs755622 variant demonstrated no significant link with BC risk. Conclusions This study revealed that serum MIF levels may be regarded as a promising serum tumor marker for BC. Also, the rs1049829 variant of the MIF gene is considered a protective candidate against BC. * Ahmed A. El-Husseiny [ahmedabdullah1984@azhar.edu.eg](ahmedabdullah1984@azhar.edu.eg) 1 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11231, Egypt 2 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahram Canadian University, 6th of October City, Giza, Egypt 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Helwan, Cairo 11790, Egypt 4 Medical Oncology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo 11796, Egypt 5 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Badr City, Cairo 11829, Egypt Graphical Abstract Keywords Breast cancer · Serum MIF · Polymorphism · Immunity · Tumor marker Abbreviations AJCC American joint committee on cancer AUC Area under the curve BC Breast cancer ELISA Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ER Estrogen receptor G Grade HER2 Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 HWE Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium IRB Institutional Review Board IDC Invasive ductal carcinoma; ILC Invasive lobular carcinoma MIF Macrophage migration inhibitory factor pN Pathological node PR Progesterone receptor pT Pathological tumor ROC Receiver operating characteristic SNPs Single nucleotide polymorphisms TGF-β Transforming growth factor-β TNBC Triple negative breast cancer TNFα Tumor necrosis factor alpha TNM Tumor-node-metastasis Introduction Breast cancer (BC) is the utmost regularly diagnosed malignancy, with an assessed 2.3 million diagnoses and 685,000 fatalities from cancer worldwide in 2020 [1] . The BC mortality rates are considerably increasing in developing countries, including Egypt, which represents 10.8% of total cancer cases [2] . The incidence of BC has noticeably elevated, particularly amongst young females, and its global annual

FAQs

What is the purpose of this study on MIF in breast cancer?

To evaluate the clinical value of serum MIF levels and to determine the association between MIF rs1049829 and rs755622 variants and serum MIF levels and breast cancer development.

How were serum MIF levels and genotypes measured?

Serum MIF protein levels were quantified using ELISA, and genotyping used the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay.

What were the key findings regarding serum MIF and breast cancer risk?

Breast cancer cases showed significantly higher serum MIF levels than controls, with reported sensitivity and specificity at a specified cut-off. Higher serum MIF was also observed in progesterone receptor (PR) negative cases compared with PR positive cases.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Miles