A multimarker QPCR-based platform for the detection of circulating tumour cells in patients with early-stage breast cancer

The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) has been linked with poor prognosis in advanced breast cancer. Relatively few studies have been undertaken to study the clinical relevance of CTCs in early-stage breast cancer. In a prospective study, we evaluated CTCs in the peripheral blood of 82 ea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of cancer 2011-06, Vol.104 (12), p.1913-1919
Main Authors: MOLLOY, T. J, DEVRIESE, L. A, HELGASON, H. H, BOSMA, A. J, HAUPTMANN, M, VOEST, E. E, SCHELLENS, Jhm, VAN'T VEER, L. J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - mortality
Breast Neoplasms - pathology
Cancer research
Female
Genes
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Immunomagnetic Separation
Mammary gland diseases
Medical prognosis
Medical research
Medical sciences
Metastasis
Middle Aged
Molecular Diagnostics
Neoplasm Staging
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
Patients
Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods
Prognosis
Prospective Studies
Tumors
Womens health
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Summary:The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) has been linked with poor prognosis in advanced breast cancer. Relatively few studies have been undertaken to study the clinical relevance of CTCs in early-stage breast cancer. In a prospective study, we evaluated CTCs in the peripheral blood of 82 early-stage breast cancer patients. Control groups consisted of 16 advanced breast cancer patients and 45 healthy volunteers. The CTC detection was performed using ErbB2/EpCAM immunomagnetic tumour cell enrichment followed by multimarker quantitative PCR (QPCR). The CTC status and common clinicopathological factors were correlated to relapse-free, breast cancer-related and overall survival. Circulating tumour cells were detected in 16 of 82 (20%) patients with early-stage breast cancer and in 13 out of 16 (81%) with advanced breast cancer. The specificity was 100%. The median follow-up time was 51 months (range: 17-60). The CTC positivity in early-stage breast cancer patients resulted in significantly poorer relapse-free survival (log rank test: P=0.003) and was an independent predictor of relapse-free survival (multivariate hazard ratio=5.13, P=0.006, 95% CI: 1.62-16.31). The detection of CTCs in peripheral blood of early-stage breast cancer patients provided prognostic information for relapse-free survival.
ISSN:0007-0920
1532-1827
DOI:10.1038/bjc.2011.164