Diagnostic role of heart rate variability in breast cancer and its relationship with peripheral serum carcinoembryonic antigen

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic role of heart rate variability in breast cancer and its relationship with Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in peripheral serum. METHODS: We reviewed the electronic medical records of patients who attended Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University between October 2016 and May 2019. The patients were grouped based on breast cancer history and were divided into two groups: breast cancer group(n = 19) and control group(n = 18). All women were invited for risk factor screening, including 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring and blood biochemistry after admission. The difference and correlation between the breast cancer group and control group were performed by comparing the heart rate variability and serum CEA levels. Additionally, diagnostic efficacy analysis of breast cancer was calculated by combining heart rate variability and serum CEA. RESULTS: In total, 37 patients were eligible for analysis, with 19 and 18 patients in the breast cancer group and control groups, respectively. Women with breast cancer had a significantly lower level of total LF, awake TP, and awake LF, and a significantly higher level of serum CEA compared with women with no breast cancer. Total LF, awake TP, and awake LF were negatively correlated with the CEA index (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves indicated the highest area under the curve (AUC) scores and specificity of the combination of awake TP, awake LF, and serum CEA (P < 0.05), while sensitivity was highest for total LF, awake TP, and awake LF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Women with history of breast cancer had abnormalities in autonomic function. The combined analysis of heart rate variability and serum CEA analysis may have a predictive effect on the development of breast cancer and provide more basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.