Concentration of histamine in serum and tissues of the primary ductal breast cancers in women.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of histamine (HA) and the activities of their enzymes, namely histidine decarboxylase (HDC) and diaminooxydase (DAO) in 95 women with ductal breast cancer and in healthy women. The control group comprised 60 women without any pathological changes in their breasts, in whom mammoplasties were performed. In women with breast cancer the concentration of HA in serum was significantly higher than in healthy controls (9.1+/-3.2 vs. 5.9+/-3.1 nmol/l; P<0.001). The concentration of HA was significantly higher in neoplasmatic tissues of women with breast cancers than in unchanged tissues of healthy subjects in the control group (14.2+/-5.1 vs. 6.3+/-9.1 nmol/g; P<0.001). HDC activity was significantly elevated in cancerous tissues of women with breast cancer relative to unchanged tissues of healthy subjects (54.7+/-17.1 vs. 39.3+/-26.9 pmol/min per mg; P<0.01). However, the activity of DAO was significantly lower (14.0+/-0.4 vs. 36.1+/-9.7 pmol/min per mg; P<0.001) in neoplasmatic tissues than in normal tissues of healthy women. The adjacent healthy tissue of cancer revealed higher concentrations of HA than were found in unchanged tissues of healthy subjects (6.3+/-9.1 vs. 7.5+/-5.4 pmol/min per mg), but this difference did not reach statistical significance. The activity of HDC did not show any significant difference between the healthy tissues adjacent to cancer foci of women with breast cancer and normal tissues obtained from healthy subjects (39.3+/-26.9 vs. 34.5+/-24.3 pmol/min per mg). However, the activity of DAO was markedly lower than in unchanged tissues of healthy women in the control group (36.1+/-9.7 vs. 14.4+/-10.9 pmol/min per mg; P<0.001). The concentration of HA in cancerous tissues was significantly higher than in adjacent healthy tissues (14.2+/-5.1 vs. 7.5+/-5.4 nmol/g; P<0.001). The activity of HDC was significantly higher in cancerous tissues than in adjacent healthy tissues (54.7+/-17.1 vs. 34.5+/-24.3 pmol/min per mg; P<0.001), but there was no difference in the activity of DAO (14.0+/-6.4 vs. 14.4+/-10.9 pmol/min per mg). The significant elevation of HA concentration in cancerous tissues of women with the ductal breast cancers is caused by the increased synthesis and decreased inactivation of HA.