Circulating tumour cells in peripheral blood: potential impact on breast cancer outcome

Introduction In breast cancer, the metastatic process may involve the dissemination of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) through the blood and lymphatic system prior to the colonisation of distant organs. Here we demonstrate the predictive capacity of CTCs for detecting risk of death in breast cancer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical & translational oncology 2011-03, Vol.13 (3), p.204-208
Main Authors: Serrano, María José, Lorente, José Antonio, Rodríguez, Miguel Delgado, Fernández, Ana, Fernández, Mónica, de la Torre, Capilla, Izquierdo, Jaime Fernández, Rovira, Pedro Sánchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use
Biomarkers, Tumor - blood
Breast Neoplasms - blood
Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy
Breast Neoplasms - pathology
Cell Separation
Female
Flow Cytometry
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Kaplan-Meier Estimate
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating - pathology
Oncology
Prognosis
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Summary:Introduction In breast cancer, the metastatic process may involve the dissemination of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) through the blood and lymphatic system prior to the colonisation of distant organs. Here we demonstrate the predictive capacity of CTCs for detecting risk of death in breast cancer patients during established time intervals. Methods CTCs were identified by immunocytochemical methods following isolation by selective immunomagnetic cell separation of cytokeratin-positive cells. Serial blood samples from 65 patients were collected at roughly monthly intervals for up to 50 months. Follow-up was conducted at different intervals: 1–5, >5–12, >12–24 and >24–50 months. Results Both presence and number of CTCs were correlated to risk of death: patients with CTCs at any time during follow-up had a higher risk of death ( p =0.035) than patients without CTCs. Furthermore, during the first 5 months of therapy, patients with >5 CTCs had a higher risk of death than patients with
ISSN:1699-048X
1699-3055
DOI:10.1007/s12094-011-0641-x