Background. Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellularmatrix protein that is overexpressed in various cancers and promotes onco-genic features including cell proliferation, survival, migration, and angiogenesis. Here, we analyzed the correlation between the expression pattern of (osteopontin and CA15.3) and clinic-pathological status of breast cancer and other standard prognostic factors.
Patients and methods. A case control study with 60 female breast cancer patients and 20 controls. All patients were subjected to complete medical history uptake , clinical examination and laboratory investigations include histopathological type of cancer, hormone receptor status  ,CA 15-3 serum concentratios and osteopontin plasma level by ELISA.
Results. Our study showed that osteopontin plasma level was significantly different among breast cancers and controls (p<0.0001) but no association between osteopontin plasma level and histological type , stage or grade. Also we found significant association between CA 15-3 and cancer stage (p<0.000). Interestingly CA15.3 serum concentrations increased in hormone receptor positive cancer.
Conclusion. OPN and CA15.3 are overexpressed in breast cancer. OPN overexpression is associated with poor prognosis. Moreover CA15.3 has minimal prognostic value in non metastatic breast cancer.