JCHOR

The Journal of Current Hematology & Oncology Research regularly publishes internationally qualified research in hematology and oncology within the current scholarly knowledge.

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Original Article
The relationship between serum vitamin b12 level and fibroadenoma in adolescent female patients: a retrospective case-control study
Aims: This study aimed to investigate serum vitamin B12 levels in adolescent female patients diagnosed with fibroadenoma and to evaluate whether a significant difference exists between fibroadenoma patients and healthy controls.
Methods: This retrospective case-control study was conducted between 2018 and 2023. A total of 46 adolescent female patients diagnosed with fibroadenoma based on ultrasonographic evaluation in accordance with ACR guidelines, with histopathological confirmation in eight cases (17%), and 46 age- and sex-matched controls were included. Hematological parameters were analyzed alongside serum vitamin B12 levels. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of fibroadenoma. A decision tree model was additionally constructed to define clinically meaningful threshold values.
Results: The mean serum vitamin B12 level was significantly lower in the fibroadenoma group compared to controls (304.54 ± 79 pg/mL vs. 407 ± 137 pg/mL; p<0.001). Among fibroadenoma patients, 88.9% had vitamin B12 levels below 300 pg/mL. The proportion of patients with vitamin B12 levels exceeding 340 pg/mL was 18.9% in the fibroadenoma group versus 81.1% in controls, a statistically significant difference (p = 0.019). Multivariate logistic regression identified low serum vitamin B12 level as an independent predictor of fibroadenoma. Decision tree analysis confirmed vitamin B12 as the primary discriminating variable, with red cell distribution width (RDW) emerging as a secondary node.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate serum vitamin B12 levels in adolescent patients with fibroadenoma. The significantly lower vitamin B12 levels observed in fibroadenoma patients compared to controls suggest a potential role of vitamin B12 in the pathogenesis of this benign breast lesion. The identified 300 pg/mL threshold suggests that serum vitamin B12 may serve as a simple and accessible biomarker for fibroadenoma risk stratification in adolescents. Prospective multicenter studies incorporating functional B12 markers such as homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are needed to validate these findings.
Ethical Statement

<p>This study was approved by the Scientific Researches Evaluation and Ethics Committee of Ankara Etlik City Hospital (Date: 27.11.2024, Decision No: AEŞH BADEK-2024-1132).</p>

Informed Consent

<p>This retrospective study used pre-existing anonymized patient data. No additional intervention was performed, and there was no direct patient contact. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee, and the requirement for written informed consent was waived by the ethics committee.</p>

Author Contributions

<p>Concept: GŞ; Design: MBH, GŞ; Control: GŞ, ŞY; Resources: ŞY, AF; Materials: MBH, CK; Data Collection and/or Processing: MBH; Analysis and/or Interpretation: MBH, GŞ; Literature Review: MBH; Writing the Article: MBH; Critical Review: MBH, ŞY, SE, CK, AF, GŞ.</p>

Conflict of Interest

<p>The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.</p>

Financial Disclosure

<p>The authors received no financial support for the conduct or publication of this research.</p>


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Volume 4, Issue 4, 2026
Page : 140-145
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