Table 2. The serum levels of BTMs in healthy women and in breast cancer patients prior to and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

	Control	C0	C4	Pa	Pb
Premenopausal
ICTP (μg/L)	2.68±0.7	3.39±0.92	4±1.2	0.002 †	0.028*
β-Crosslaps (ng/mL)	0.272±0.18	0.300±0.12	0.408±0.17	0.045*	0.000 †
BAP (μg/L)	9.23±2.6	14.5±5.8	13±5.42	0.000 †	0.001 †
PINP (ng/mL)	27.3±7.7	46.9±24	34.01±12	0.000 †	0.000 †
Postmenopausal
ICTP (μg/L)	3.36±0.6	2.95±0.7	3.8±0.9	0.105	0.034*
β-Crosslaps (ng/mL)	0.482±0.1	0.410±0.2	0.540±0.3	0.092	0.010*
BAP (μg/L)	16.6±3.0	17±4.1	13.94±4.7	0.824	0.028*
PINP (ng/mL)	61.06±19	63±29	47.75±20	0.867	0.012*

Data are reported as mean ± SD.

*Statistically significant at P < 0.05;

^†Statistically significant at P < 0.01.

ICTP, carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen; β-Crosslaps, β-isomer of C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen; BAP, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase; PINP, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide.

C₀, the initial diagnosis day before chemotherapy;

C₄, 24 hours after the fourth cycle of chemotherapy.

P^a: comparison between the healthy control and the patients at the baseline (C₀).

P^b: comparison between the baseline (C₀) and after the 4th cycle of chemotherapy (C₄) in patients