scholarly journals Circulating Tumor Cells and Response to Chemotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer: SWOG S0500

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (31) ◽  
pp. 3483-3489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey B. Smerage ◽  
William E. Barlow ◽  
Gabriel N. Hortobagyi ◽  
Eric P. Winer ◽  
Brian Leyland-Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Metastatic Breast Cancer ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Circulating Tumor Cells ◽  
Metastatic Breast ◽  
Initial Therapy ◽  
First Line ◽  
Response To Chemotherapy ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Line Chemotherapy

PurposeIncreased circulating tumor cells (CTCs; five or more CTCs per 7.5 mL of whole blood) are associated with poor prognosis in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A randomized trial of patients with persistent increase in CTCs tested whether changing chemotherapy after one cycle of first-line chemotherapy would improve the primary outcome of overall survival (OS).Patients and MethodsPatients with MBC who did not have increased CTCs at baseline remained on initial therapy until progression (arm A). Patients with initially increased CTCs that decreased after 21 days of therapy remained on initial therapy (arm B). Patients with persistently increased CTCs after 21 days of therapy were randomly assigned to continue initial therapy (arm C1) or change to an alternative chemotherapy (arm C2).ResultsOf 595 eligible and evaluable patients, 276 (46%) did not have increased CTCs (arm A). Of those with initially increased CTCs, 31 (10%) were not retested, 165 were assigned to arm B, and 123 were randomly assigned to arm C1 or C2. No difference in median OS was observed between arm C1 and C2 (10.7 and 12.5 months, respectively; P = .98). CTCs were strongly prognostic. Median OS for arms A, B, and C (C1 and C2 combined) were 35 months, 23 months, and 13 months, respectively (P < .001).ConclusionThis study confirms the prognostic significance of CTCs in patients with MBC receiving first-line chemotherapy. For patients with persistently increased CTCs after 21 days of first-line chemotherapy, early switching to an alternate cytotoxic therapy was not effective in prolonging OS. For this population, there is a need for more effective treatment than standard chemotherapy.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Three Methods for the Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Early and Metastatic Breast Cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 594-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Politaki ◽  
Sofia Agelaki ◽  
Stella Apostolaki ◽  
Dora Hatzidaki ◽  
Areti Strati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Metastatic Breast Cancer ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Prognostic Significance ◽  
Metastatic Breast ◽  
Double Immunofluorescence ◽  
First Line ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Line Chemotherapy

Background: We directly compared CTC detection rates and prognostic significance, using three different methods in patients with breast cancer (BC). Methods: Early (n=200) and metastatic (n=164) patients were evaluated before initiating adjuvant or first-line chemotherapy, using the CellSearchTM System, an RT-qPCR for CK-19 mRNA detection and by double immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy using A45-B/B3 and CD45 antibodies. Results: Using the CellSearchTM System, 37% and 16.5% of early BC patients were CTC-positive (at ≥1 and ≥2 CTCs/23 ml of blood), 18.0% by RT-qPCR and 16.9% by IF; no agreement was observed between methods. By the CellSearchTM 34.8% and 53.7% (at≥ 5 and ≥ 2 CTCs/7.5 ml) of metastatic patients were CTC-positive, 37.8% by RT-qPCR and 28.5% by IF. A significant agreement existed only between the CellSearchTM and RT-qPCR. In 60.8% of cases, differential EpCAM and CK-19 expression on CTCs by IF could explain the discrepancies between the CellSearchTM and RT-qPCR. CTC-positivity by either method was associated with decreased overall survival in metastatic patients. Conclusion: A significant concordance was observed between the CellSearchTM and RT-qPCR in metastatic but not in early BC. Discordant results could be explained in part by CTC heterogeneity. CTC detection by all methods evaluated had prognostic relevance in metastatic patients.

Circulating Tumor Cells: A Novel Prognostic Factor for Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Breast Cancer

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1420-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Cristofanilli ◽  
Daniel F. Hayes ◽  
G. Thomas Budd ◽  
Mathew J. Ellis ◽  
Alison Stopeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Metastatic Breast Cancer ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Circulating Tumor Cells ◽  
Metastatic Breast ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
First Line ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Line Therapy

Purpose Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is incurable; its treatment is palliative. We investigated whether the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) predicts treatment efficacy, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with newly diagnosed MBC who were about to start first-line therapy. Patients and Methods One hundred seventy-seven patients with measurable MBC were enrolled onto a prospective study. Eighty-three of the 177 patients were entering first-line treatment, and these patients are the focus of this analysis. CTCs from 7.5 mL of whole blood drawn before treatment initiation (baseline) and monthly thereafter for up to 6 months were isolated and enumerated using immunomagnetics. Results The mean (± standard deviation) follow-up time was 11.1 ± 4.4 months (median, 12.2 months). Forty-three patients (52%) had ≥ five CTCs at baseline. The median PFS was 7.2 months (95% CI, 4.9 to 9.4 months), and the median OS was more than 18 months. Patients with ≥ five CTCs at baseline and at first follow-up (4 weeks) had a worse prognosis than patients with less than five CTCs (baseline: median PFS, 4.9 v 9.5 months, respectively; log-rank, P = .0014; median OS, 14.2 v > 18 months, respectively; log-rank, P = .0048; first follow-up: median PFS, 2.1 v 8.9 months, respectively; log-rank, P = .0070; median OS, 11.1 v > 18 months, respectively; log-rank, P = .0029). CTCs before and after the initiation of therapy were strong, independent prognostic factors. Conclusion Detection of CTCs before initiation of first-line therapy in patients with MBC is highly predictive of PFS and OS. This technology can aid in appropriate patient stratification and design of tailored treatments.

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