HMGB1 Illustration: Interconnected glowing cells within a woman's silhouette, symbolizing breast cancer detection.

Decoding Breast Cancer: How HMGB1 Could Be Your Early Warning System

Lena Voss in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 3 min read.

"New research highlights the potential of High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) as a biomarker for early breast cancer detection, offering hope for improved diagnosis and treatment"

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of death for women worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for earlier and more accurate detection methods. In the People's Republic of China, the incidence of breast cancer has risen dramatically, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to improve survival rates.

While current treatments have extended survival, distant metastasis continues to pose a significant threat, making early detection crucial. Cancer biomarkers, measurable indicators of a biological state or condition, offer promise for early diagnosis and personalized treatment approaches.

Traditional biomarkers like BRCA1/2, CA15.3, and CA27.29 have limitations in sensitivity and specificity, prompting the search for novel markers. High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1), a protein involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis, has emerged as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target in breast cancer.

HMGB1: A New Hope in Breast Cancer Detection

HMGB1 Illustration: Interconnected glowing cells within a woman's silhouette, symbolizing breast cancer detection.

A recent study published in OncoTargets and Therapy delved into the clinical significance of HMGB1 in breast cancer. Researchers investigated HMGB1 levels in tissue and serum samples from patients with breast cancer, benign breast disease, and healthy controls to determine its potential as a diagnostic marker.

The study revealed significantly higher HMGB1 levels in the tissues and sera of breast cancer patients compared to those with benign breast disease or healthy individuals. This finding suggests that HMGB1 plays a crucial role in breast cancer development and progression. Further analysis showed that tissue HMGB1 levels correlated with key clinicopathological features, including differentiation grade, lymphatic metastasis, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage.

Higher HMGB1 levels were found in breast cancer tissues and sera.
Tissue HMGB1 levels correlated with differentiation grade and metastasis.
Serum HMGB1 showed potential as a diagnostic marker.
The study suggests HMGB1's involvement in breast cancer progression.

The study also evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of tissue HMGB1 levels, demonstrating a sensitivity of 73.21% and a specificity of 84.00% for breast cancer detection. These results suggest that HMGB1 could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool, particularly when combined with existing methods. While serum HMGB1 levels did not correlate with clinicopathological parameters, they still hold promise as a serological biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and screening.

Looking Ahead: HMGB1's Potential in Transforming Breast Cancer Care

The findings of this study offer a promising avenue for improving breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. HMGB1's involvement in tumorigenesis and metastasis suggests that it could be a valuable therapeutic target. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of HMGB1 in breast cancer and explore its potential in personalized treatment strategies. With continued investigation, HMGB1 could revolutionize breast cancer care, leading to earlier detection, more effective treatments, and improved outcomes for patients worldwide.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.2147/ott.s73366, Alternate LINK

Title: High Mobility Group Box-1 And Its Clinical Value In Breast Cancer

Subject: Pharmacology (medical)

Journal: OncoTargets and Therapy

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Authors: Yang Shanping Sun, Wei Zhang, Zhaoqing Cui, Qi Chen, Panpan Xie, Changxin Zhou, Baoguo Liu, Xiangeng Peng, Yang Zhang

Published: 2015-02-01

Everything You Need To Know

What makes High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) a potential early warning system for breast cancer?

High Mobility Group Box-1, or HMGB1, has emerged as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target because of its involvement in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Studies show significantly higher HMGB1 levels in the tissues and sera of breast cancer patients compared to individuals without breast cancer. This suggests HMGB1 plays a critical role in the development and progression of breast cancer. Although traditional biomarkers have limitations, HMGB1 offers a promising avenue for early detection.

How do High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) levels correlate with the progression and severity of breast cancer?

A recent study published in *OncoTargets and Therapy* demonstrated that tissue HMGB1 levels correlated with key clinicopathological features of breast cancer, including differentiation grade, lymphatic metastasis, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. While serum HMGB1 levels did not correlate with clinicopathological parameters, tissue HMGB1 levels demonstrated a sensitivity of 73.21% and a specificity of 84.00% for breast cancer detection. This information is crucial for understanding how HMGB1 can be used to assess the severity and spread of breast cancer.

What further research is needed to unlock the full potential of High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) in breast cancer care?

While the study showed promise for HMGB1, further research is needed to fully understand its role and maximize its potential in breast cancer care. Future research could explore how HMGB1 interacts with other biomarkers, its effectiveness in diverse populations, and its potential as a therapeutic target. It is also crucial to investigate how HMGB1 can be integrated into existing diagnostic and treatment protocols to improve patient outcomes. Personalized treatment strategies could leverage HMGB1 levels to tailor therapies for individual patients, potentially leading to more effective treatments.

How does High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) compare to traditional biomarkers like BRCA1/2 in detecting breast cancer?

Traditional biomarkers like BRCA1/2, CA15.3, and CA27.29, while useful, have limitations in sensitivity and specificity, meaning they might not always accurately detect breast cancer or differentiate it from benign conditions. HMGB1 offers a potential improvement because studies suggest it is more closely linked to the development and progression of breast cancer. By combining HMGB1 with existing biomarkers, healthcare professionals may be able to achieve earlier and more accurate diagnoses, leading to better treatment outcomes.

Can High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) levels be used to monitor the effectiveness of breast cancer treatments?

Currently, research indicates that HMGB1 levels are higher in breast cancer tissues and sera. However, the utility of serum HMGB1 is mostly as a serological biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and screening. More research is needed to see how HMGB1 levels change during treatment and how these changes correlate with treatment response and disease progression. This understanding is essential for using HMGB1 to monitor treatment effectiveness and personalize treatment plans.