Radioimmunoassay for the measurement of thrombospondin in plasma and breast cyst fluid: Validation and clinical application

Thrombospondin is an adhesive protein that has been implicated in malignancy, specifically in tumour progression and angiogenesis. We developed a radioimmunoassay for the measurement of thrombospondin in plasma and breast cyst fluid. The assay exhibited high accuracy, with recoveries of 102-136% and acceptable imprecision, with an intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) of <7.5% across the analytical range 30-1000 ng/mL and inter-assay CV of 4.4% and 7.7% at 152 and 224 ng/mL, respectively. Thrombospondin measured in the breast cyst fluid of patients with gross cystic disease of the breast showed that patients with type II (Na+) cysts had significantly higher concentrations than type I (K+) cysts. The plasma thrombospondin reference range was determined as 131-274 ng/mL. Patients with breast cancer had significantly higher plasma thrombospondin concentrations than normal individuals or patients with benign breast disease. Plasma thrombospondin was higher in breast cancer patients with lymph node involvement.