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Ring A, Nguyen-Sträuli BD, Wicki A, Aceto N. Biology, vulnerabilities and clinical applications of circulating tumour cells. Nat Rev Cancer 2023; 23:95-111. [PMID: 36494603 PMCID: PMC9734934 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-022-00536-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 97.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, exceptional technological advances have enabled the identification and interrogation of rare circulating tumour cells (CTCs) from blood samples of patients, leading to new fields of research and fostering the promise for paradigm-changing, liquid biopsy-based clinical applications. Analysis of CTCs has revealed distinct biological phenotypes, including the presence of CTC clusters and the interaction between CTCs and immune or stromal cells, impacting metastasis formation and providing new insights into cancer vulnerabilities. Here we review the progress made in understanding biological features of CTCs and provide insight into exploiting these developments to design future clinical tools for improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ring
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bich Doan Nguyen-Sträuli
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Wicki
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Aceto
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Ring A, Spataro M, Wicki A, Aceto N. Clinical and Biological Aspects of Disseminated Tumor Cells and Dormancy in Breast Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:929893. [PMID: 35837334 PMCID: PMC9274007 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.929893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Progress in detection and treatment have drastically improved survival for early breast cancer patients. However, distant recurrence causes high mortality and is typically considered incurable. Cancer dissemination occurs via circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and up to 75% of breast cancer patients could harbor micrometastatses at time of diagnosis, while metastatic recurrence often occurs years to decades after treatment. During clinical latency, disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) can enter a state of cell cycle arrest or dormancy at distant sites, and are likely shielded from immune detection and treatment. While this is a challenge, it can also be seen as an outstanding opportunity to target dormant DTCs on time, before their transformation into lethal macrometastatic lesions. Here, we review and discuss progress made in our understanding of DTC and dormancy biology in breast cancer. Strides in our mechanistic insights of these features has led to the identification of possible targeting strategies, yet, their integration into clinical trial design is still uncertain. Incorporating minimally invasive liquid biopsies and rationally designed adjuvant therapies, targeting both proliferating and dormant tumor cells, may help to address current challenges and improve precision cancer care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ring
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Spataro
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Wicki
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Aceto
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Nicola Aceto,
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The Role of Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer and Implications for Radiation Treatment Decisions. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2020; 109:44-59. [PMID: 32882354 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.08.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumor biomarkers are used routinely in oncology to assign risk categorization, screen and assist in diagnosis of malignancy, allow for prognostication and prediction of outcomes and treatment response, and allow for monitoring of patients after treatment completion. Although tissue-based biomarkers have a long history of use, the emergence of liquid-based biomarkers, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), may soon revolutionize the management of patients with cancer. Here, we review the discovery of CTCs and their role as prognostic and predictive biomarkers, with an emphasis on breast cancer. We discuss the platforms for CTC enumeration and focus on studies using the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved platform for CTC enumeration (CellSearch). In addition, we examine the role of CTCs in women with metastatic, inflammatory, and nonmetastatic breast cancer, as well as the clinical evidence for their use as a surrogate for radiation treatment response as well as surveillance after treatment. Finally, we conclude by investigating ongoing clinical studies assessing CTCs as radiation response predictors and discuss unanswered questions.
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Nicolini A, Rossi G, Ferrari P, Carpi A. Minimal residual disease in advanced or metastatic solid cancers: The G0-G1 state and immunotherapy are key to unwinding cancer complexity. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 79:68-82. [PMID: 32201368 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, a large amount of research has focused on elucidating the mechanisms that account for homing disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) from solid tumours to distant organs, which successively progress to overt metastatic disease; this is currently incurable. A better understanding of DCC behaviour is expected to allow detectable metastasis prevention by more effectively targeting 'metastatic seeds before they sprout'. As DCC biology co-evolved with that of the primary tumour, and due to the many similarities between them, the term 'niche' has been borrowed from normal adult stem cells (ASCs) to define the site of DCC metastatic colonisation. Moreover, heterogeneity, survival, protection, stemness and plasticity as well as the prolonged G0-G1 dormant state in the metastatic niche have been the main aspects of intense investigation. Consistent with these findings, in solid cancers with minimal residual disease (MRD), it has been proposed to prolong adjuvant therapy by targeting specific molecular pathway(s) involving DCC dormancy. However, so far, few disappointing clinical data have been reported. As an alternative strategy, because immune-surveillance contributes to the steady state of the DCC population and likely to the G0-G1 state of cancer cells, we have used prolonged immune-modulatory cytostatic chemotherapy, active immune stimulation with an INF-β/IL-2 sequence or drugs inhibiting myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC)/Treg-mediated immune suppression. This strategy, mainly aimed at boosting the immune response, is based on recent findings suggesting the downregulation of immune escape mechanisms as well as other principal hallmarks during the G0-G1 state and/or in MRD. Preliminary clinical and/or laboratory data suggest the efficacy of this strategy in gastrointestinal and some endocrine-dependent cancers. Following this, we propose therapeutic schedules to prevent DCC activation and proliferation in solid cancers at a high risk of relapse or as maintenance therapy in metastatic patients after complete response (CR) to conventional treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Nicolini
- Department of Oncology, Transplantations and New Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Rossi
- National Research Council (CNR), Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Clinical Physiology and G. Monasterio Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Ferrari
- Unit of Oncology 1, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Angelo Carpi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy
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Nanduri LK, Hissa B, Weitz J, Schölch S, Bork U. The prognostic role of circulating tumor cells in colorectal cancer. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2019; 19:1077-1088. [PMID: 31778322 DOI: 10.1080/14737140.2019.1699065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Metastasis is the main cause of cancer-associated death in colorectal cancer (CRC). The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the blood is associated with an increased risk of recurrence and poor prognosis. The clinical significance of CTCs as a novel biomarker has been extensively studied in the last decade. It has been shown that CTC detection applies to early cancer detection. The presence of CTCs is associated with metastatic spread and poor survival and is also useful as a marker for therapy response.Areas covered: We summarize the role of CTC in CRC, their clinical significance, current methods for CTC detection and challenges as well as future perspectives of CTC research.Expert commentary: The clinical significance of CTC in CRC patients is well established. Although insightful, the available marker-based approaches hampered our understanding of the CTCs and their biology, as such approaches do not take into account the heterogeneity of these cell populations. New technologies should expand the marker-based detection to multi biomarker-based approaches together with recent technological advances in microfluidics for single cell enrichment and analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lahiri Kanth Nanduri
- Department of Gastrointestinal-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Barbara Hissa
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jürgen Weitz
- Department of Gastrointestinal-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schölch
- Department of Gastrointestinal-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ulrich Bork
- Department of Gastrointestinal-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Thery L, Meddis A, Cabel L, Proudhon C, Latouche A, Pierga JY, Bidard FC. Circulating Tumor Cells in Early Breast Cancer. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2019; 3:pkz026. [PMID: 31360902 PMCID: PMC6649836 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkz026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are particularly rare in non-metastatic breast cancer, and the clinical validity of CTC detection in that clinical setting was initially not well recognized. A cytological CTC detection device (CellSearch) fulfilling the CLIA requirements for analytical validity was subsequently developed and, in 2008, we reported the first study (REMAGUS02) showing that distant metastasis-free survival was shorter in early breast cancer patients with one or more CTCs. In the past 10 years, other clinical studies and meta-analyses have established CTC detection as a level-of-evidence 1 prognostic biomarker for local relapses, distant relapses, and overall survival. This review summarizes available data on CTC detection and the promises of this proliferation- and subtype-independent metastasis-associated biomarker in early breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Thery
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint Cloud, France
| | | | - Luc Cabel
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint Cloud, France.,Circulating Tumor Biomarkers Laboratory, Institut Curie, Inserm CIC 1428, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,UVSQ, Paris Saclay University, Saint Cloud, France
| | - Charlotte Proudhon
- Circulating Tumor Biomarkers Laboratory, Institut Curie, Inserm CIC 1428, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Aurelien Latouche
- Inserm U900, Institut Curie, Saint Cloud, France.,Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Yves Pierga
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint Cloud, France.,Circulating Tumor Biomarkers Laboratory, Institut Curie, Inserm CIC 1428, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Francois-Clement Bidard
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint Cloud, France.,Circulating Tumor Biomarkers Laboratory, Institut Curie, Inserm CIC 1428, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,UVSQ, Paris Saclay University, Saint Cloud, France
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Sai B, Xiang J. Disseminated tumour cells in bone marrow are the source of cancer relapse after therapy. J Cell Mol Med 2018; 22:5776-5786. [PMID: 30255991 PMCID: PMC6237612 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.13867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that cancer cells spread much earlier than was previously believed. Recent technological advances have greatly improved the detection methods of circulating tumour cells (CTCs), suggesting that the dissemination of cancer cells into the circulation occurs randomly. Most CTCs die in circulation as a result of shear stress and/or anoikis. However, the persistence of disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow is the result of interaction of DTCs with bone marrow microenvironment. DTCs in the bone marrow undergo successive clonal expansions and a parallel progression that leads to new variants. Compared to the CTCs, DTCs in the bone marrow have a unique signature, which displayed dormant, mesenchymal phenotype and osteoblast-like or osteoclast-like phenotype. The persistence of DTCs in the bone marrow is always related to minimal residual diseases (MRDs). This review outlines the difference between CTCs and DTCs in the bone marrow and describes how this difference affects the clinical values of CTCs and DTCs, such as metastasis and recurrence. We suggest that DTCs remaining in the bone marrow after therapy can be used as a superior marker in comparison with CTCs to define patients with an unfavourable prognosis and may therefore be a potential prognostic factor and therapeutic target for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buqing Sai
- Hunan Cancer HospitalThe Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of MedicineCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Cancer Research InstituteSchool of Basic Medical ScienceCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of HealthXiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Juanjuan Xiang
- Hunan Cancer HospitalThe Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of MedicineCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Cancer Research InstituteSchool of Basic Medical ScienceCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of HealthXiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and CancerChangshaHunanChina
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9
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Lalli E, Luconi M. The next step: mechanisms driving adrenocortical carcinoma metastasis. Endocr Relat Cancer 2018; 25:R31-R48. [PMID: 29142005 DOI: 10.1530/erc-17-0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine tumors have the peculiarity to become clinically evident not only due to symptoms related to space occupation by the growing lesion, similarly to most other tumors, but also, and most often, because of their specific hormonal secretion, which significantly contributes to their pathological burden. Malignant endocrine tumors, in addition, have the ability to produce distant metastases. Here, we critically review the current knowledge about mechanisms and biomarkers characterizing the metastatic process in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare endocrine malignancy with a high risk of relapse and metastatization even when the primary tumor is diagnosed and surgically removed at an early stage. We highlight perspectives of future research in the domain and possible new therapeutic avenues based on targeting factors having an important role in the metastatic process of ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enzo Lalli
- Université Côte d'AzurValbonne, France
- CNRS UMR7275Valbonne, France
- NEOGENEX CNRS International Associated LaboratoryValbonne, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et CellulaireValbonne, France
| | - Michaela Luconi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences 'Mario Serio'University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Carlini MJ, Shrivastava N, Sosa MS. Epigenetic and Pluripotency Aspects of Disseminated Cancer Cells During Minimal Residual Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1100:1-18. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-97746-1_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Mapping bone marrow niches of disseminated tumor cells. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2017; 60:1125-1132. [PMID: 29027156 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-017-9180-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer cells may disseminate early, before tumor diagnosis. Disseminated tumor cells, or DTCs, reside in the bone marrow, and may persist for years or even decades. Some of these cells may be re-activated to resume aggressive growth, and eventually become overt bone metastases. Recent studies have begun to shed light on this complicated process and revealed multiple steps and intermediate states of colonizing DTCs. However, how cancer-host interactions evolve during this process needs to be further understood. Most of our current knowledge of the bone microenvironment is obtained through studies looking for the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche. Although this long-standing question has not yet been resolved, our search for the HSC niche has resulted in a detailed map of various cell types in the bone marrow. Furthermore, various techniques used to find the HSC niche may also be adapted for finding the cancer cell niche. In this article, we will review the recent progress in both the DTC and HSC areas with a focus on their potential microenvironment niches. We will also discuss how to apply what we have learned from HSC studies to map DTCs in the bone context. We hope to stimulate thoughts and ideas to further elucidate the bone colonization process, and develop potential therapeutic interventions.
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Kaveh F, Baumbusch LO, Nebdal D, Børresen-Dale AL, Lingjærde OC, Edvardsen H, Kristensen VN, Solvang HK. A systematic comparison of copy number alterations in four types of female cancer. BMC Cancer 2016; 16:913. [PMID: 27876019 PMCID: PMC5120489 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-016-2899-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Detection and localization of genomic alterations and breakpoints are crucial in cancer research. The purpose of this study was to investigate, in a methodological and biological perspective, different female, hormone-dependent cancers to identify common and diverse DNA aberrations, genes, and pathways. Methods In this work, we analyzed tissue samples from patients with breast (n = 112), ovarian (n = 74), endometrial (n = 84), or cervical (n = 76) cancer. To identify genomic aberrations, the Circular Binary Segmentation (CBS) and Piecewise Constant Fitting (PCF) algorithms were used and segmentation thresholds optimized. The Genomic Identification of Significant Targets in Cancer (GISTIC) algorithm was applied to the segmented data to identify significantly altered regions and the associated genes were analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to detect over-represented pathways and functions within the identified gene sets. Results and Discussion Analyses of high-resolution copy number alterations in four different female cancer types are presented. For appropriately adjusted segmentation parameters the two segmentation algorithms CBS and PCF performed similarly. We identified one region at 8q24.3 with focal aberrations that was altered at significant frequency across all four cancer types. Considering both, broad regions and focal peaks, three additional regions with gains at significant frequency were revealed at 1p21.1, 8p22, and 13q21.33, respectively. Several of these events involve known cancer-related genes, like PPP2R2A, PSCA, PTP4A3, and PTK2. In the female reproductive system (ovarian, endometrial, and cervix [OEC]), we discovered three common events: copy number gains at 5p15.33 and 15q11.2, further a copy number loss at 8p21.2. Interestingly, as many as 75% of the aberrations (75% amplifications and 86% deletions) identified by GISTIC were specific for just one cancer type and represented distinct molecular pathways. Conclusions Our results disclose that some prominent copy number changes are shared in the four examined female, hormone-dependent cancer whereas others are definitive to specific cancer types. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2899-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Kaveh
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Medical Genetics Department, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Pediatric Research, Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars O Baumbusch
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Pediatric Research, Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Daniel Nebdal
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole Christian Lingjærde
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Computer Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hege Edvardsen
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vessela N Kristensen
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway. .,Department of Clinical Molecular Biology (EpiGen), Medical Division, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.
| | - Hiroko K Solvang
- Marine Mammals Research Group, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
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Kasimir-Bauer S, Reiter K, Aktas B, Bittner AK, Weber S, Keller T, Kimmig R, Hoffmann O. Different prognostic value of circulating and disseminated tumor cells in primary breast cancer: Influence of bisphosphonate intake? Sci Rep 2016; 6:26355. [PMID: 27212060 PMCID: PMC4876469 DOI: 10.1038/srep26355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow (BM) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood of breast cancer patients (pts) are known to correlate with worse outcome. Here we demonstrate a different prognostic value of DTCs and CTCs and explain these findings by early clodronate intake. CTCs (n = 376 pts) were determined using the AdnaTest BreastCancer (Qiagen Hannover GmbH, Germany) and DTCs (n = 525 pts) were analyzed by immunocytochemistry using the pan-cytokeratin antibody A45-B/B3. Clodronate intake was recommended in case of DTC-positivity. CTCs were detected in 22% and DTCs in 40% of the pts, respectively. DTCs were significantly associated with nodal status (p = 0.03), grading (p = 0.01), lymphangiosis (p = 0.03), PR status (p = 0.02) and clodronate intake (p < 0.0001), no significant associations were demonstrated for CTCs. CTCs significantly correlated with reduced PFS (p = 0.0227) and negative prognostic relevance was predominantly related to G2 tumors (p = 0.044), the lobular (p = 0.024) and the triple-negative subtype (p = 0.005), HR-negative pts (p = 0.001), postmenopausal women (p = 0.013) and patients who had received radiation therapy (p = 0.018). No prognostic significance was found for DTCs. Therefore early clodronate intake can improve prognosis of breast cancer patients and CTCs might be a high risk indicator for the onset of metastasis not limited to bone metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kasimir-Bauer
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Katharina Reiter
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Bahriye Aktas
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Bittner
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Stephan Weber
- ACOMED Statistik, Fockestr. 57, D-04275 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Keller
- ACOMED Statistik, Fockestr. 57, D-04275 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rainer Kimmig
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Oliver Hoffmann
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany
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Kasimir-Bauer S, Bittner AK, König L, Reiter K, Keller T, Kimmig R, Hoffmann O. Does primary neoadjuvant systemic therapy eradicate minimal residual disease? Analysis of disseminated and circulating tumor cells before and after therapy. Breast Cancer Res 2016; 18:20. [PMID: 26868521 PMCID: PMC4751719 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-016-0679-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with breast cancer (BC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) may experience metastatic relapse despite achieving a pathologic complete response. We analyzed patients with BC before and after NACT for disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow(BM); comprehensively characterized circulating tumor cells (CTCs), including stem cell-like CTCs (slCTCs), in blood to prove the effectiveness of treatment on these cells; and correlated these findings with response to therapy, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). METHODS CTCs (n = 135) and slCTCs (n = 91) before and after NACT were analyzed using the AdnaTest BreastCancer, AdnaTest TumorStemCell, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (QIAGEN Hannover GmbH Germany). The expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and the resistance marker excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 1 (ERCC1), nuclease were studied in separate single-plex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction experiments. DTCs were evaluated in 142 patients before and 165 patients after NACT using the pan-cytokeratin antibody A45-B/B3 for immunocytochemistry. RESULTS The positivity rates for DTCs, CTCs, and slCTCs were 27 %, 24 %, and 51 % before and 20 %, 8 %, and 20 % after NACT, respectively. Interestingly, 72 % of CTCs present after therapy were positive for ERCC1, and CTCs before (p = 0.005) and after NACT (p = 0.05) were significantly associated with the presence of slCTCs. Whereas no significant associations with clinical parameters were found for CTCs and slCTCs, DTCs were significantly associated with nodal status (p = 0.03) and histology (0.046) before NACT and with the immunohistochemical subtype (p = 0.02) after NACT. Univariable Cox regression analysis revealed that age (p = 0.0065), tumor size before NACT (p = 0.0473), nodal status after NACT (p = 0.0137), and response to NACT (p = 0.0136) were significantly correlated with PFS, whereas age (p = 0.0162) and nodal status after NACT (p = 0.0243) were significantly associated with OS. No significant correlations were found for DTCs or any CTCs before and after therapy with regard to PFS and OS. CONCLUSIONS Although CTCs were eradicated more effectively than DTCs, CTCs detected after treatment seemed to be associated with tumor cells showing tumor stem cell characteristics as well as with resistant tumor cell populations that might indicate a worse outcome in the future. Thus, these patients might benefit from additional second-line treatment protocols including bisphosphonates for the eradication of DTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kasimir-Bauer
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
| | - Ann-Kathrin Bittner
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
| | - Lisa König
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
| | - Katharina Reiter
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
| | - Thomas Keller
- ACOMED Statistik, Fockestrasse 57, D-04275, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Rainer Kimmig
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
| | - Oliver Hoffmann
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
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15
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Bidard FC, Proudhon C, Pierga JY. Circulating tumor cells in breast cancer. Mol Oncol 2016; 10:418-30. [PMID: 26809472 PMCID: PMC5528978 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, technically reliable circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection methods allowed the collection of large datasets of CTC counts in cancer patients. These data can be used either as a dynamic prognostic biomarker or as tumor material for “liquid biopsy”. Breast cancer appears to be the cancer type in which CTC have been the most extensively studied so far, with level‐of‐evidence‐1 studies supporting the clinical validity of CTC count in both early and metastatic stage. This review summarizes and discusses the clinical results obtained in breast cancer patients, the issues faced by the molecular characterization of CTC and the biological findings about cancer biology and metastasis that were obtained from CTC. In metastatic breast cancer, CTC count is a level‐of‐evidence 1 prognostic dynamic biomarker. Several interventional trials are ongoing to demonstrate the clinical utility of CTC detection in metastatic breast cancer. In early breast cancer, CTC count is also a prognostic biomarker, not correlated with the other usual prognostic factors. Molecular characterization of CTC is promising, trials with anti‐HER2 therapy are ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois-Clement Bidard
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, SiRIC, Laboratory of Circulating Tumor Biomarkers, Paris, France; Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Department of Medical Oncology, Paris, France
| | - Charlotte Proudhon
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, SiRIC, Laboratory of Circulating Tumor Biomarkers, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Yves Pierga
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, SiRIC, Laboratory of Circulating Tumor Biomarkers, Paris, France; Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Department of Medical Oncology, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
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16
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Haakensen VD, Steinfeld I, Saldova R, Shehni AA, Kifer I, Naume B, Rudd PM, Børresen-Dale AL, Yakhini Z. Serum N-glycan analysis in breast cancer patients--Relation to tumour biology and clinical outcome. Mol Oncol 2015; 10:59-72. [PMID: 26321095 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Revised: 08/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycosylation and related processes play important roles in cancer development and progression, including metastasis. Several studies have shown that N-glycans have potential diagnostic value as cancer serum biomarkers. We have explored the significance of the abundance of particular serum N-glycan structures as important features of breast tumour biology by studying the serum glycome and tumour transcriptome (mRNA and miRNA) of 104 breast cancer patients. Integration of these types of molecular data allows us to study the relationship between serum glycans and transcripts representing functional pathways, such as metabolic pathways or DNA damage response. We identified tri antennary trigalactosylated trisialylated glycans in serum as being associated with lower levels of tumour transcripts involved in focal adhesion and integrin-mediated cell adhesion. These glycan structures were also linked to poor prognosis in patients with ER negative tumours. High abundance of simple monoantennary glycan structures were associated with increased survival, particularly in the basal-like subgroup. The presence of circulating tumour cells was found to be significantly associated with several serum glycome structures like bi and triantennary, di- and trigalactosylated, di- and trisialylated. The link between tumour miRNA expression levels and N-glycan production is also examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vilde D Haakensen
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway; The K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Israel Steinfeld
- Department of Computer Science, Technion, Haifa, Israel; Agilent Laboratories, Agilent Technologies, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Radka Saldova
- NIBRT GlycoScience Group, National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Fosters Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Akram Asadi Shehni
- NIBRT GlycoScience Group, National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Fosters Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Ilona Kifer
- Agilent Laboratories, Agilent Technologies, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Bjørn Naume
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pauline M Rudd
- NIBRT GlycoScience Group, National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Fosters Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway; The K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Zohar Yakhini
- Department of Computer Science, Technion, Haifa, Israel; Agilent Laboratories, Agilent Technologies, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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17
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Hartkopf AD, Wallwiener M, Fehm TN, Hahn M, Walter CB, Gruber I, Brucker SY, Taran FA. Disseminated tumor cells from the bone marrow of patients with nonmetastatic primary breast cancer are predictive of locoregional relapse. Ann Oncol 2015; 26:1155-1160. [PMID: 25791636 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdv148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) are detectable in the bone marrow (BM) of patients with primary breast cancer (PBC) and predictive of an impaired prognosis. This large trial aimed to analyze the impact of DTC detection on locoregional relapse (LR). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with nonmetastatic PBC were eligible for this analysis. BM aspiration (BMA1) was carried out during primary surgery and DTCs were detected by using immunocytochemistry (A45-B/B3 antibody against pancytokeratin) and morphological criteria. At the time of LR, a subgroup of patients with nonmetastatic and operable LR received a secondary BM aspiration (BMA2). RESULTS A total of 3072 patients were included into the analysis. Of these, 732 (24%) presented with DTCs at BMA1. One hundred thirty-nine patients experienced LR and 48 of these (35%) were initially DTC positive. DTC detection was significantly associated with an increased risk of LR in univariate (P = 0.002) and multivariate analysis (P = 0.009) with a hazard ratio of 1.65 (95% confidence interval 1.13-2.40). Of the patients with LR, 55 patients were available for BMA2 and 17 of these (32%) were DTC positive. DTC detection at the time of LR was indicative of impaired overall survival (univariate analysis, P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS DTC detection in patients with PBC is associated with an increased risk of LR, indicating that tumor cells may have the ability to recirculate from the BM to the site of the primary tumor. The impaired prognosis associated with DTC detection at the time of LR may help to identify patients that are in need for additional or more aggressive treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Hartkopf
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen.
| | - M Wallwiener
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg
| | - T N Fehm
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - M Hahn
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen
| | - C B Walter
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen
| | - I Gruber
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen
| | - S Y Brucker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen
| | - F-A Taran
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen
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18
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Hartkopf AD, Taran FA, Walter CB, Hahn M, Fehm T, Wallwiener M, Brucker SY. Detection and prevalence of disseminated tumor cells from the bone marrow of early stage male breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2015; 152:51-55. [PMID: 26012646 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-015-3440-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Male breast cancer (mBC) is a rare entity. As detection of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow of females with early stage breast cancer is a promising prognostic marker, we aimed to determine the prevalence and prognostic value of DTCs in mBC. Bone marrow aspirates were collected from male patients undergoing primary surgery for early stage breast cancer (T1-4, N0-2, M0) at Tuebingen University, Germany, between January 2001 and April 2015. DTCs were identified by immunocytochemistry (pancytokeratin antibody A45/B-B3) and cytomorphology. 24 patients with mBC were included into the analysis. DTCs were detected in four of these (17 %). There was no significant association between the DTC status and any other clinicopathological parameter. Also, no significant impact of the DTC status on DFS or OS could be observed. DTCs are detectable in patients with early stage mBC. The detection rate is comparable to that in women. No associations between DTCs and clinicopathological features or prognosis were observed, which is most likely due to the small sample size. The detection of DTCs in male patients with early stage breast cancer emphasizes the transmission of future clinical applications for DTCs from women to men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas D Hartkopf
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tuebingen University Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Florin-Andrei Taran
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tuebingen University Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Christina B Walter
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tuebingen University Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Markus Hahn
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tuebingen University Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Tanja Fehm
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Duesseldorf, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Wallwiener
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sara Y Brucker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tuebingen University Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
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19
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Abstract
Molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) found in the blood of cancer patients offers the potential to provide new insights into the biology of cancer metastasis. However, since they are rare and difficult to isolate, the molecular nature of CTCs remains poorly understood. In this paper, we reviewed a decade's worth of scientific literature (2003-2013) describing efforts on isolation and genomic analysis of CTCs. The limited number of CTC genomic studies we found attested to the infancy of this field of study. These initial reports, however, provide an important framework for future comprehensive exploration of CTC biology. For CTCs to be broadly accepted as therapeutic targets and biomarkers of metastatic spread, further in-depth molecular characterization is warranted.
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20
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Toss A, Mu Z, Fernandez S, Cristofanilli M. CTC enumeration and characterization: moving toward personalized medicine. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2014; 2:108. [PMID: 25489582 DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2014.09.06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The primary cause of tumor-related death in breast cancer (BC) is still represented by distant metastasization. The dissemination of tumor cells from the primary tumor to distant sites through bloodstream cannot be early detected by standard imaging methods. The enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represents an effective prognostic and predictive biomarker, which is able to monitor efficacy of adjuvant therapies, detect early development of (micro)metastases and at last, assess therapeutic responses of advanced disease earlier than traditional imaging methods. Moreover, since repeated tissue biopsies are invasive, costly and not always feasible, the assessment of tumor characteristics on CTCs, by a peripheral blood sample as a 'liquid biopsy', represents an attractive opportunity. The implementation of molecular and genomic characterization of CTCs could contribute to improve the treatment selection and thus, to move toward more personalized treatments. This review describes the current state of the art on CTC detection strategies, the evidence to demonstrate their clinical validity, and their potential impact for both future clinical trial design and, decision-making process in our daily practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Toss
- 1 Department of Oncology, Haematology and Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy ; 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University & Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zhaomei Mu
- 1 Department of Oncology, Haematology and Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy ; 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University & Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sandra Fernandez
- 1 Department of Oncology, Haematology and Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy ; 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University & Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Massimo Cristofanilli
- 1 Department of Oncology, Haematology and Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy ; 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University & Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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21
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Bone marrow as a reservoir for disseminated tumor cells: a special source for liquid biopsy in cancer patients. BONEKEY REPORTS 2014; 3:584. [PMID: 25419458 DOI: 10.1038/bonekey.2014.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Besides circulating tumor cells, disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in bone marrow (BM) might be used as a 'liquid biopsy' to obtain information helpful to steer therapies in individual patients. Moreover, the molecular characterization of DTCs may provide important insight into the biology of cancer metastasis. BM is a frequent site of metastasis in breast, prostate and lung cancer, and it might represent a sanctuary site for DTCs derived from various additional types of epithelial tumors. Highly sensitive and specific immunocytological and molecular methods enable the detection of DTCs in BM of cancer patients at the single-cell level years before the occurrence of metastases. This information might be useful to assess individual prognosis and stratify patients at risk to systemic adjuvant anti-cancer therapies. Although most data on the prognostic value of DTCs are available for breast cancer, several single institution studies including patients with colon, lung, prostate, esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, ovarian and head and neck carcinomas have also documented an association between the presence of DTCs at primary surgery and subsequent metastatic relapse. Most DTCs are in a dormant (that is, non-proliferative) stage, frequently express HER2 and display a cancer stem cell and immune escape phenotype. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about specific biological properties of DTCs in BM, and discuss the clinical relevance of DTC detection in cancer patients with regard to an improved individualized therapeutic management. This will stimulate further technical developments that may make BM sampling more acceptable for the clinical management of patients with solid tumors.
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22
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Naume B, Synnestvedt M, Falk RS, Wiedswang G, Weyde K, Risberg T, Kersten C, Mjaaland I, Vindi L, Sommer HH, Sætersdal AB, Rypdal MC, Bendigtsen Schirmer C, Wist EA, Borgen E. Clinical outcome with correlation to disseminated tumor cell (DTC) status after DTC-guided secondary adjuvant treatment with docetaxel in early breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2014; 32:3848-57. [PMID: 25366688 DOI: 10.1200/jco.2014.56.9327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in bone marrow (BM) predicts survival in early breast cancer. This study explores the use of DTCs for identification of patients insufficiently treated with adjuvant therapy so they can be offered secondary adjuvant treatment and the subsequent surrogate marker potential of DTCs for outcome determination. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with early breast cancer who had completed six cycles of adjuvant fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC) chemotherapy underwent BM aspiration 2 to 3 months (BM1) and 8 to 9 months (BM2) after FEC. Presence of DTCs in BM was determined by immunocytochemistry using pan-cytokeratin monoclonal antibodies. If one or more DTCs were present at BM2, six cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m(2), once every 3 weeks) were administered, followed by DTC analysis 1 and 13 months after the last docetaxel infusion (after treatment). Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate disease-free interval (DFI). RESULTS Of 1,066 patients with a DTC result at BM2 and available follow-up information (median follow-up, 71.9 months from the time of BM2), 7.2% were DTC positive. Of 72 docetaxel-treated patients analyzed for DTCs after treatment, 15 (20.8%) had persistent DTCs. Patients with remaining DTCs had markedly reduced DFI (46.7% experienced relapse) compared with patients with no DTCs after treatment (adjusted hazard ratio, 7.58; 95% CI, 2.3 to 24.7). The docetaxel-treated patients with no DTCs after treatment had comparable DFI (8.8% experienced relapse) compared with those with no DTCs both at BM1 and BM2 (12.7% experienced relapse; P = .377, log-rank test). CONCLUSION DTC status identifies high-risk patients after FEC chemotherapy, and DTC monitoring status after secondary treatment with docetaxel correlated strongly with survival. This emphasizes the potential for DTC analysis as a surrogate marker for adjuvant treatment effect in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjørn Naume
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway.
| | - Marit Synnestvedt
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Ragnhild Sørum Falk
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Gro Wiedswang
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Kjetil Weyde
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Terje Risberg
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Christian Kersten
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Ingvil Mjaaland
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Lise Vindi
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Hilde H Sommer
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Anna Barbro Sætersdal
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Maria Christine Rypdal
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Erik Andreas Wist
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
| | - Elin Borgen
- Bjørn Naume, Marit Synnestvedt, Ragnhild Sørum Falk, Gro Wiedswang, Hilde H. Sommer, Anna Barbro Sætersdal, Maria Christine Rypdal, Cecilie Bendigtsen Schirmer, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, Oslo University Hospital; Bjørn Naume, Erik Andreas Wist, and Elin Borgen, K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo; Kjetil Weyde, Sykehuset Innlandet Trust, Gjøvik; Terje Risberg, University Hospital of Northern Norway and University of Tromsø, Tromsø; Christian Kersten, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Ingvil Mjaaland, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Lise Vindi, Ålesund Hospital, Ålesund, Norway
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Tewes M, Kasimir-Bauer S, Welt A, Schuler M, Kimmig R, Aktas B. Detection of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow and circulating tumor cells in blood of patients with early-stage male breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2014; 141:87-92. [DOI: 10.1007/s00432-014-1784-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Werner-Klein M, Proske J, Werno C, Schneider K, Hofmann HS, Rack B, Buchholz S, Ganzer R, Blana A, Seelbach-Göbel B, Nitsche U, Männel DN, Klein CA. Immune humanization of immunodeficient mice using diagnostic bone marrow aspirates from carcinoma patients. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97860. [PMID: 24830425 PMCID: PMC4022674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice, while routinely used in cancer research, preclude studying interactions of immune and cancer cells or, if humanized by allogeneic immune cells, are of limited use for tumor-immunological questions. Here, we explore a novel way to generate cancer models with an autologous humanized immune system. We demonstrate that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow aspirates of non-metastasized carcinoma patients, which are taken at specialized centers for diagnostic purposes, can be used to generate a human immune system in NOD-scid IL2rγ(null) (NSG) and HLA-I expressing NSG mice (NSG-HLA-A2/HHD) comprising both, lymphoid and myeloid cell lineages. Using NSG-HLA-A2/HHD mice, we show that responsive and self-tolerant human T cells develop and human antigen presenting cells can activate human T cells. As critical factors we identified the low potential of bone marrow HSPCs to engraft, generally low HSPC numbers in patient-derived bone marrow samples, cryopreservation and routes of cell administration. We provide here an optimized protocol that uses a minimum number of HSPCs, preselects high-quality bone marrow samples defined by the number of initially isolated leukocytes and intra-femoral or intra-venous injection. In conclusion, the use of diagnostic bone marrow aspirates from non-metastasized carcinoma patients for the immunological humanization of immunodeficient mice is feasible and opens the chance for individualized analyses of anti-tumoral T cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Judith Proske
- Institute of Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christian Werno
- Project Group Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Schneider
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Brigitte Rack
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Buchholz
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Roman Ganzer
- Department of Urology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andreas Blana
- Department of Urology, Fuerth Hospital, Fuerth, Germany
| | - Birgit Seelbach-Göbel
- Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics St. Hedwig, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Nitsche
- Department of Surgery, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniela N. Männel
- Institute of Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph A. Klein
- Project Group Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Regensburg, Germany
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Schneble EJ, Graham LJ, Shupe MP, Flynt FL, Banks KP, Kirkpatrick AD, Nissan A, Henry L, Stojadinovic A, Shumway NM, Avital I, Peoples GE, Setlik RF. Future directions for the early detection of recurrent breast cancer. J Cancer 2014; 5:291-300. [PMID: 24790657 PMCID: PMC3982042 DOI: 10.7150/jca.8017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The main goal of follow-up care after breast cancer treatment is the early detection of disease recurrence. In this review, we emphasize the multidisciplinary approach to this continuity of care from surgery, medical oncology, and radiology. Challenges within each setting are briefly addressed as a means of discussion for the future directions of an effective and efficient surveillance plan of post-treatment breast cancer care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika J Schneble
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Lindsey J Graham
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Matthew P Shupe
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Frederick L Flynt
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Kevin P Banks
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Aaron D Kirkpatrick
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Aviram Nissan
- 2. Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, POB 12000, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
| | - Leonard Henry
- 3. IU Health Goshen, 200 High Park Ave., Goshen, IN 46526, USA
| | | | - Nathan M Shumway
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Itzhak Avital
- 4. Bon Secours Cancer Institute, 5855 Bremo Road, Richmond, VA 23226, USA
| | - George E Peoples
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
| | - Robert F Setlik
- 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
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Gröbe A, Blessmann M, Hanken H, Friedrich RE, Schön G, Wikner J, Effenberger KE, Kluwe L, Heiland M, Pantel K, Riethdorf S. Prognostic Relevance of Circulating Tumor Cells in Blood and Disseminated Tumor Cells in Bone Marrow of Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity. Clin Cancer Res 2013; 20:425-33. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-13-1101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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27
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Langer I, Guller U, Worni M, Berclaz G, Singer G, Schaer G, Fehr MK, Hess T, Viehl C, Bronz L, Schnarwyler B, Wight E, Infanger E, Burger D, Koechli OR, Zuber M. Bone marrow micrometastases do not impact disease-free and overall survival in early stage sentinel lymph node-negative breast cancer patients. Ann Surg Oncol 2013; 21:401-7. [PMID: 24145993 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-013-3315-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The presence of lymph node metastases is the most important prognostic factor in early stage breast cancer. Whether bone marrow micrometastases (BMM) impact the prognosis in sentinel lymph node (SLN)-negative breast cancer patients remains a matter of debate. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of BMM on 5-year disease-free and overall survival among those patients. METHODS We analyzed 410 patients with early stage breast cancer (pT1 and pT2 ≤ 3 cm, cN0) who were prospectively enrolled into the Swiss Multicenter Sentinel Lymph Node Study in Breast Cancer between January 2000 and December 2003. All patients underwent bone marrow aspiration followed by SLN biopsy. All SLN were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry (Lu-5, CK-22). Cancer cells in the bone marrow were identified after staining with monoclonal antibodies A45-B/B3 against CK-8, -18, and -19. RESULTS Negative SLN were found in 67.6% (277 of 410) of the enrolled patients. Of those, BMM status was negative in 75.8% (210 of 277) and positive in 24.2% (67 of 277) patients. Median follow-up was 61 (range 11-96) months. Five-year disease-free survival was 93.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 89.1-96.0) in BMM-negative and 92.2% (95% CI 82.5-96.2) in BMM-positive patients (p = 0.50). Five-year overall survival was 92.7% (95% CI 87.9-95.8) for the BMM-negative and 92.5% (95% CI 83.4-96.2) for the BMM-positive group (p = 0.85). CONCLUSIONS This is one of the first prospective studies to examine 5-year disease-free and overall survivals in SLN-negative patients in correlation to their BMM status. Although BMM are identified in one of four SLN-negative patients, they do not impact disease-free and overall survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Langer
- Department of Surgery, Lindenhof Hospital, Berne, Switzerland
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Conteduca V, Zamarchi R, Rossi E, Condelli V, Troiani L, Aieta M. Circulating tumor cells: utopia or reality? Future Oncol 2013; 9:1337-52. [DOI: 10.2217/fon.13.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) could be considered a sign of tumor aggressiveness, but highly sensitive and specific methods of CTC detection are necessary owing to the rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs in peripheral blood. This review summarizes recent studies on tumor biology, with particular attention to the metastatic cascade, and the molecular characterization and clinical significance of CTCs. Recent technological approaches to enrich and detect these cells and challenges of CTCs for individualized cancer treatment are also discussed. This review also provides an insight into the positive and negative features of the future potential applications of CTC detection, which sometimes remains still a ‘utopia’, but its actual utility remains among the fastest growing research fields in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Conteduca
- Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST), Via Piero Maroncelli 40, 47014 Meldola (FC), Italy
| | | | - Elisabetta Rossi
- Department of Surgery, Oncology & Gastroenterology, Oncology Section, University of Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Condelli
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata IRCCS, Rionero in Vulture, Italy
| | - Laura Troiani
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata IRCCS, Rionero in Vulture, Italy
| | - Michele Aieta
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata IRCCS, Rionero in Vulture, Italy
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Giordano A, Gao H, Cohen EN, Anfossi S, Khoury J, Hess K, Krishnamurthy S, Tin S, Cristofanilli M, Hortobagyi GN, Woodward WA, Lucci A, Reuben JM. Clinical relevance of cancer stem cells in bone marrow of early breast cancer patients. Ann Oncol 2013; 24:2515-2521. [PMID: 23798614 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdt223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are epithelial tumor cells that express CD44(+)CD24(-/lo). CSCs can be further divided into those that have aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity (Aldefluor(+)) and those that do not. We hypothesized that if CSCs are responsible for tumor dissemination, their presence in bone marrow (BM) would be prognostic in early stages of breast cancer (EBC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS BM aspirates were collected at the time of surgery from 108 patients with EBC. BM was analyzed for CSCs and ALDH activity by flow cytometry. Overall survival and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated from the date of diagnosis and analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival plots. Cox multivariate proportional hazards model was also carried out. RESULTS Patients with CSCs in BM had a hazard ratio (HR) of 8.8 for DFS (P = 0.002); patients with Aldefluor(+) CSCs had a HR of 5.9 (P = 0.052) for DFS. All deceased patients (n = 7) had CSCs in BM. In multivariate analysis, the presence of CSCs in BM was a prognostic factor of DFS (HR = 15.8, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS The presence of BM metastasis is correlated with CSCs and these CSCs irrespective of ALDH activity are an independent adverse prognostic factor in EBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Giordano
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA; Department of Endocrinology and Molecular and Clinical Oncology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - H Gao
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - E N Cohen
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - S Anfossi
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - J Khoury
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - K Hess
- Departments of Biostatistics
| | - S Krishnamurthy
- Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - S Tin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - M Cristofanilli
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
| | | | | | - A Lucci
- Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - J M Reuben
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
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Schindlbeck C, Andergassen U, Hofmann S, Jückstock J, Jeschke U, Sommer H, Friese K, Janni W, Rack B. Comparison of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in peripheral blood and disseminated tumor cells in the bone marrow (DTC-BM) of breast cancer patients. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2013; 139:1055-62. [DOI: 10.1007/s00432-013-1418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Zhang L, Riethdorf S, Wu G, Wang T, Yang K, Peng G, Liu J, Pantel K. Meta-analysis of the prognostic value of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2012; 18:5701-10. [PMID: 22908097 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-12-1587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTC) detected in breast cancer patients is currently under debate. Different time points of blood collections and various CTC assays have been used in the past decades. Here, we conducted the first comprehensive meta-analysis of published literature on the prognostic relevance of CTC, including patients with early and advanced disease. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A comprehensive search for articles published between January 1990 and January 2012 was conducted; reviews of each study were conducted and data were extracted. The main outcomes analyzed were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in early-stage breast cancer patients, as well as progression-free survival (PFS) and OS in metastatic breast cancer patients. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random and the fixed-effects models. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. RESULTS Forty-nine eligible studies enrolling 6,825 patients were identified. The presence of CTC was significantly associated with shorter survival in the total population. The prognostic value of CTC was significant in both early (DFS: HR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.19-3.75; OS: HR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.22-3.48) and metastatic breast cancer (PFS: HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.52-2.09; OS: HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 2.09-2.60). Further subgroup analyses showed that our results were stable irrespective of the CTC detection method and time point of blood withdrawal. CONCLUSION Our present meta-analysis indicates that the detection of CTC is a stable prognosticator in patients with early-stage and metastatic breast cancer. Further studies are required to explore the clinical utility of CTC in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liling Zhang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Circulating Tumor Cells as Markers for Cancer Risk Assessment and Treatment Monitoring. Mol Diagn Ther 2012; 13:209-15. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03256327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Mathiesen RR, Borgen E, Renolen A, Løkkevik E, Nesland JM, Anker G, Ostenstad B, Lundgren S, Risberg T, Mjaaland I, Kvalheim G, Lønning PE, Naume B. Persistence of disseminated tumor cells after neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced breast cancer predicts poor survival. Breast Cancer Res 2012; 14:R117. [PMID: 22889108 PMCID: PMC3680942 DOI: 10.1186/bcr3242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2012] [Accepted: 08/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in bone marrow (BM) and circulating tumor cells (CTC) in peripheral blood (PB) predicts reduced survival in early breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of and alterations in DTC- and CTC-status in locally advanced breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and to evaluate their prognostic impact. Methods Bone marrow and peripheral blood were collected before NACT (BM1: n = 231/PB1: n = 219), at surgery (BM2: n = 69/PB2: n = 71), and after 12 months from start of NACT (BM3: n = 162/PB3: n = 141). Patients were included from 1997 to 2003 and followed until 2009 (or ten years follow-up). DTC- and CTC-status were determined by morphological evaluation of immunocytochemically detected cytokeratin-positive cells. The prognostic significance of DTCs/CTCs was assessed by univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses. Results Before NACT, DTCs and CTCs were detected in 21.2% and 4.9% of the patients, respectively. At surgery, 15.9% and 1.4% had DTC- and CTC-presence, compared to 26.5% and 4.3% at 12 months from start of NACT. Of patients for whom DTC results both before NACT and at 12 months were available, concordant results were observed in 68%, and 14 out of 65 had positive DTC-status at both time points. Presence of ≥ 1 DTC 12 months from start of NACT, but not at other time points, predicted reduced disease-free survival (DFS; HR 2.3, p = 0.003), breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS; HR 3.0, p < 0.001) and overall survival (OS; HR 2.8, p < 0.001). Before NACT, presence of ≥ 3 DTCs was also associated with unfavorable outcome, and reduced BCSS was observed for CTC-positive patients (HR 2.2, p = 0.046). In multivariate analysis, DTC status (</≥ 1 DTC) at 12 months after start of NACT remained as a prognostic factor for both DFS (HR 2.2, p = 0.005), BCSS (HR 2.6, p = 0.002) and OS (HR 2.6, p = 0.002). The survival for patients with change in DTC-status was determined by the DTC-status at 12 months. Conclusion Presence of DTCs after NACT indicated high risk for relapse and death, irrespective of the DTC-status before treatment. The results supports the potential use of DTC analysis as a monitoring tool during follow up, for selection of patients to secondary treatment intervention within clinical trials.
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Micro-/nanotechnology-based isolation and clinical significance of circulating tumor cells. Biomed Eng Lett 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s13534-012-0058-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
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Lucci A, Hall CS, Lodhi AK, Bhattacharyya A, Anderson AE, Xiao L, Bedrosian I, Kuerer HM, Krishnamurthy S. Circulating tumour cells in non-metastatic breast cancer: a prospective study. Lancet Oncol 2012; 13:688-95. [PMID: 22677156 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(12)70209-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 384] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The identification of circulating tumour cells correlate with poor prognosis in metastatic breast cancer, but there are few data describing the importance of circulating tumour cells in patients with non-metastatic disease. Our aim was to establish if circulating tumour cells predicted worse outcome in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer. METHODS We prospectively collected data on circulating tumour cells at the time of definitive surgery from chemonaive patients with stage 1-3 breast cancer from February, 2005, to December, 2010. We deemed eligible all patients with operable breast cancer presenting at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA). Patients were ineligible if they had bilateral breast cancer or any other malignancy within 5 years of the diagnosis of the present cancer. We measured circulating tumour cells with the CellSearch System (Veridex, Raritan, NJ). We correlated findings of circulating tumour cells with standard tumour characteristics, including tumour size and grade; oestrogen and progesterone receptor and human epidural growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status; and axillary lymph node status with χ(2) or Fisher exact tests. We assessed outcomes at a median follow-up of 35 months. Log-rank test and Cox regression analysis was applied to establish the association of circulating tumour cells with progression-free and overall survival. FINDINGS No patients reported adverse events or complications from blood collections. We identified one or more circulating tumour cells in 73 (24%) of 302 patients. Detection of one or more circulating tumour cells predicted both decreased progression-free survival (log-rank p=0·005; hazard ratio [HR] 4·62, 95% CI 1·79-11·9) and overall survival (log-rank p=0·01; HR 4·04, 1·28-12·8). INTERPRETATION The presence of one or more circulating tumour cells predicted early recurrence and decreased overall survival in chemonaive patients with non-metastatic breast cancer. These results suggest that assessment of circulating tumour cells might provide important prognostic information in these patients. FUNDING Society of Surgical Oncology, Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the State of Texas Rare and Aggressive Breast Cancer Research Program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Lucci
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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Tjensvoll K, Oltedal S, Heikkilä R, Kvaløy JT, Gilje B, Reuben JM, Smaaland R, Nordgård O. Persistent tumor cells in bone marrow of non-metastatic breast cancer patients after primary surgery are associated with inferior outcome. BMC Cancer 2012; 12:190. [PMID: 22640166 PMCID: PMC3443029 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-12-190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2011] [Accepted: 03/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To investigate the prognostic significance of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in bone marrow (BM) from non-metastatic breast cancer patients before and after surgery. Methods Patients with non-metastatic breast cancer were consecutively recruited to this project during the years 1998–2000. Real-time RT-PCR quantification of a DTC multimarker panel consisting of cytokeratin 19, mammaglobin A and TWIST1 mRNA was performed in BM samples obtained from 154 patients three weeks (BM2) and/or six months after surgery (BM3). The results were compared to previously published data from pre-operative BM analyses for the same patients. Results DTCs were identified in post-operative BM samples (BM2 and/or BM3) from 23 (15%) of the 154 patients investigated. During a median follow-up of 98 months, 10 (44%) of these patients experienced systemic relapse as compared to 16 (12%) of 131 DTC-negative patients. Kaplan-Meier estimates of systemic recurrence-free- and breast-cancer specific survival demonstrated significantly shorter survival for patients with persistent DTCs in BM after surgery (p≤0.001). By multivariate Cox regression analyses, persistent DTCs after surgery was an independent predictor of both systemic recurrence-free- (HR = 5.4, p < 0.001) and breast-cancer specific survival (HR = 5.3, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the prognostic value of DTCs in BM was similar for pre- and post surgery samples. However, patients with DTCs both before and after surgery (BM1 and BM2/3) had a particularly poor prognosis (systemic recurrence-free survival: HR = 7.2, p < 0.0001 and breast-cancer specific survival: HR = 8.0, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Detection of persistent DTCs in BM samples obtained after surgery identified non-metastatic breast cancer patients at high risk for systemic relapse, and with reduced breast-cancer specific survival. Furthermore, patients with positive DTC status both before and after surgery had a particularly poor prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kjersti Tjensvoll
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Stavanger University Hospital, N-4068, Stavanger, Norway
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Magbanua MJM, Sosa EV, Scott JH, Simko J, Collins C, Pinkel D, Ryan CJ, Park JW. Isolation and genomic analysis of circulating tumor cells from castration resistant metastatic prostate cancer. BMC Cancer 2012; 12:78. [PMID: 22373240 PMCID: PMC3395839 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-12-78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 02/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic prostate cancer patients provides prognostic and predictive information. However, it is the molecular characterization of CTCs that offers insight into the biology of these tumor cells in the context of personalized treatment. Methods We developed a novel approach to isolate CTCs away from hematopoietic cells with high purity, enabling genomic analysis of these cells. The isolation protocol involves immunomagnetic enrichment followed by fluorescence activated cell sorting (IE/FACS). To evaluate the feasibility of isolation of CTCs by IE/FACS and downstream genomic profiling, we conducted a pilot study in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Twenty (20) sequential CRPC patients were assayed using CellSearch™. Twelve (12) patients positive for CTCs were subjected to immunomagnetic enrichment and fluorescence activated cell sorting (IE/FACS) to isolate CTCs. Genomic DNA of CTCs was subjected to whole genome amplification (WGA) followed by gene copy number analysis via array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Results CTCs from nine (9) patients successfully profiled were observed to have multiple copy number aberrations including those previously reported in primary prostate tumors such as gains in 8q and losses in 8p. High-level copy number gains at the androgen receptor (AR) locus were observed in 7 (78%) cases. Comparison of genomic profiles between CTCs and archival primary tumors from the same patients revealed common lineage. However, high-level copy number gains in the AR locus were observed in CTCs, but not in the matched archival primary tumors. Conclusions We developed a new approach to isolate prostate CTCs without significant leukocyte admixture, and to subject them to genome-wide copy number analysis. Our assay may be utilized to explore genomic events involved in cancer progression, e.g. development of castration resistance and to monitor therapeutic efficacy of targeted therapies in clinical trials in a relatively non-invasive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Jesus M Magbanua
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California San Francisco, USA
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Molloy TJ, Roepman P, Naume B, van't Veer LJ. A prognostic gene expression profile that predicts circulating tumor cell presence in breast cancer patients. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32426. [PMID: 22384245 PMCID: PMC3285692 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2011] [Accepted: 01/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood and microarray gene expression profiling of the primary tumor are two promising new technologies able to provide valuable prognostic data for patients with breast cancer. Meta-analyses of several established prognostic breast cancer gene expression profiles in large patient cohorts have demonstrated that despite sharing few genes, their delineation of patients into "good prognosis" or "poor prognosis" are frequently very highly correlated, and combining prognostic profiles does not increase prognostic power. In the current study, we aimed to develop a novel profile which provided independent prognostic data by building a signature predictive of CTC status rather than outcome. Microarray gene expression data from an initial training cohort of 72 breast cancer patients for which CTC status had been determined in a previous study using a multimarker QPCR-based assay was used to develop a CTC-predictive profile. The generated profile was validated in two independent datasets of 49 and 123 patients and confirmed to be both predictive of CTC status, and independently prognostic. Importantly, the "CTC profile" also provided prognostic information independent of the well-established and powerful '70-gene' prognostic breast cancer signature. This profile therefore has the potential to not only add prognostic information to currently-available microarray tests but in some circumstances even replace blood-based prognostic CTC tests at time of diagnosis for those patients already undergoing testing by multigene assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Molloy
- Division of Experimental Therapy, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bjørn Naume
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Laura J. van't Veer
- Division of Experimental Therapy, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Agendia BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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Kasimir-Bauer S, Hoffmann O, Wallwiener D, Kimmig R, Fehm T. Expression of stem cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in primary breast cancer patients with circulating tumor cells. Breast Cancer Res 2012; 14:R15. [PMID: 22264265 PMCID: PMC3496132 DOI: 10.1186/bcr3099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2011] [Revised: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in breast cancer might be associated with stem cell-like tumor cells which have been suggested to be the active source of metastatic spread in primary tumors. Furthermore, to be able to disseminate and metastasize, CTC must be able to perform epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We studied the expression of three EMT markers and the stem cell marker ALDH1 in CTC from 502 primary breast cancer patients. Data were correlated with the presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in the bone marrow (BM) and with clinicopathological data of the patients. Methods A total of 2 × 5 ml of blood was analyzed for CTC with the AdnaTest BreastCancer (AdnaGen AG) for the detection of EpCAM, MUC-1, HER2 and beta-Actin transcripts. The recovered c-DNA was additionally multiplex tested for three EMT markers [TWIST1, Akt2, phosphoinositide kinase-3 (PI3Kα)] and separately for the tumor stem cell marker ALDH1. The identification of EMT markers was considered positive if at least one marker was detected in the sample. Two BM aspirates from all patients were analyzed for DTC by immunocytochemistry using the pan-cytokeratin antibody A45-B/B3. Results Ninety-seven percent of 30 healthy donor samples investigated were negative for EMT and 95% for ALDH1 transcripts, respectively. CTC were detected in 97/502 (19%) patients. At least one of the EMT markers was expressed in 29% and ALDH1 was present in 14% of the samples, respectively. Interestingly, 5% of the ALDH1-positive and 18% of the EMT-positive patients were CTC-negative based on the cut-off level determined for CTC-positivity applying the AdnaTest BreastCancer. DTC in the BM were detected in 107/502 (21%) patients and no correlation was found between BM status and CTC positivity (P = 0.41). The presence of CTC, EMT and ALDH1 expression was not correlated to any of the prognostic clinical markers. Conclusions Our data indicate that (1) a subset of primary breast cancer patients shows EMT and stem cell characteristics and (2) the currently used detection methods for CTC are not efficient to identify a subtype of CTC which underwent EMT. (3) The clinical relevance on prognosis and therapy response has to be further evaluated in a prospective trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kasimir-Bauer
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45122 Essen, Germany.
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Kaveh F, Edvardsen H, Børresen-Dale AL, N Kristensen V, Solvang HK. Allele-specific disparity in breast cancer. BMC Med Genomics 2011; 4:85. [PMID: 22188678 PMCID: PMC3337547 DOI: 10.1186/1755-8794-4-85] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In a cancer cell the number of copies of a locus may vary due to amplification and deletion and these variations are denoted as copy number alterations (CNAs). We focus on the disparity of CNAs in tumour samples, which were compared to those in blood in order to identify the directional loss of heterozygosity. METHODS We propose a numerical algorithm and apply it to data from the Illumina 109K-SNP array on 112 samples from breast cancer patients. B-allele frequency (BAF) and log R ratio (LRR) of Illumina were used to estimate Euclidian distances. For each locus, we compared genotypes in blood and tumour for subset of samples being heterozygous in blood. We identified loci showing preferential disparity from heterozygous toward either the A/B-allele homozygous (allelic disparity). The chi-squared and Cochran-Armitage trend tests were used to examine whether there is an association between high levels of disparity in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and molecular, clinical and tumour-related parameters. To identify pathways and network functions over-represented within the resulting gene sets, we used Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). RESULTS To identify loci with a high level of disparity, we selected SNPs 1) with a substantial degree of disparity and 2) with substantial frequency (at least 50% of the samples heterozygous for the respective locus). We report the overall difference in disparity in high-grade tumours compared to low-grade tumours (p-value < 0.001) and significant associations between disparity in multiple single loci and clinical parameters. The most significantly associated network functions within the genes represented in the loci of disparity were identified, including lipid metabolism, small-molecule biochemistry, and nervous system development and function. No evidence for over-representation of directional disparity in a list of stem cell genes was obtained, however genes appeared to be more often altered by deletion than by amplification. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that directional loss and amplification exist in breast cancer. These are highly associated with grade, which may indicate that they are enforced with increasing number of cell divisions. Whether there is selective pressure for some loci to be preferentially amplified or deleted remains to be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Kaveh
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hege Edvardsen
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vessela N Kristensen
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Clinical Molecular Biology (EpiGen), Medical division, Akerhus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hiroko K Solvang
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Bednarz-Knoll N, Alix-Panabières C, Pantel K. Clinical relevance and biology of circulating tumor cells. Breast Cancer Res 2011; 13:228. [PMID: 22114869 PMCID: PMC3326546 DOI: 10.1186/bcr2940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Most breast cancer patients die due to metastases, and the early onset of this multistep process is usually missed by current tumor staging modalities. Therefore, ultrasensitive techniques have been developed to enable the enrichment, detection, isolation and characterization of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow and circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients. There is increasing evidence that the presence of these cells is associated with an unfavorable prognosis related to metastatic progression in the bone and other organs. This review focuses on investigations regarding the biology and clinical relevance of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Bednarz-Knoll
- Department of Tumour Biology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr, 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Paterlini-Bréchot P. Organ-specific markers in circulating tumor cell screening: an early indicator of metastasis-capable malignancy. Future Oncol 2011; 7:849-71. [PMID: 21732757 DOI: 10.2217/fon.11.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represent an important biological link in the spread of primary solid tumors to the metastatic disease responsible for most cancer mortality. Their detection in the peripheral blood of patients with many different carcinomas has shown that tumor-cell dissemination can proceed at an early stage of tumor development and their presence is associated with poor clinical outcomes, particularly in metastatic disease. In this article we describe how the increasingly sensitive isolation and detailed molecular characterization of CTCs has greatly improved our understanding of metastatic proliferation. We focus on how CTC detection and knowledge of the molecular architecture of these cells can serve as biomarkers to signal metastasis-capable disseminating cells and predict therapy-specific response. This has marked clinical utility for improved selection of systemic therapies to the individual needs of a cancer patient, real-time monitoring of metastatic disease treatments and the development of new targeted therapies.
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Abstract
Tumor cell dissemination in bone marrow or other organs is thought to represent an important step in the metastatic process. The detection of bone marrow disseminated tumor cells is associated with worse outcome in early breast cancer. Moreover, the detection of peripheral blood circulating tumor cells is an adverse prognostic factor in metastatic breast cancer, and emerging data suggest that this is also true for early disease. Beyond enumeration, the characterization of these cells has the potential to improve risk assessment, treatment selection and monitoring, and the development of novel therapeutic agents, and to advance our understanding of the biology of metastasis.
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Circulating and disseminated tumor cells in the management of advanced prostate cancer. Adv Urol 2011; 2012:135281. [PMID: 21869883 PMCID: PMC3159300 DOI: 10.1155/2012/135281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2011] [Accepted: 06/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Management of prostate cancer is recognized as one of the most important medical problems. Latest findings concerning the role of circulating (CTC) and disseminated tumor cells (DTC) have provided new insights into the biology of metastasis with important implications for the clinical management of prostate cancer patients. Most of the established methods of circulating/disseminated tumor cell enrichment use density-gradient centrifugation and immunomagnetic procedures. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction is another used detection technique. Novel methods, the CTC-chip and the epithelial immunospot assay already showed promising results. For localized and metastatic prostate cancer, significant correlations between spreading tumor cells and well-established indicators of disease activity have been demonstrated. Careful randomized prospective trials will be required to justify the routine use of CTCs/DTCs for therapy decision making.
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Serrano MJ, Lorente JA, Delgado Rodríguez M, Fernández A, Fernández M, de la Torre C, Fernández Izquierdo J, Sánchez Rovira P. Circulating tumour cells in peripheral blood: potential impact on breast cancer outcome. Clin Transl Oncol 2011; 13:204-8. [PMID: 21421466 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-011-0641-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
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 <5 CTCs (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the persistence of CTCs after chemotherapy, particularly during the first 5 months, could define a group of patients with a high risk of relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- María José Serrano
- Pfizer - Universidad de Granada - Junta de Andalucía, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Health Sciences Technologic Park, Granada, Spain.
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Molloy TJ, Bosma AJ, Baumbusch LO, Synnestvedt M, Borgen E, Russnes HG, Schlichting E, van't Veer LJ, Naume B. The prognostic significance of tumour cell detection in the peripheral blood versus the bone marrow in 733 early-stage breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res 2011; 13:R61. [PMID: 21672237 PMCID: PMC3218950 DOI: 10.1186/bcr2898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Revised: 05/04/2011] [Accepted: 06/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood and disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow are promising prognostic tools for risk stratification in early breast cancer. There is, however, a need for further validation of these techniques in larger patient cohorts with adequate follow-up periods. Methods We assayed CTCs and DTCs at primary surgery in 733 stage I or II breast cancer patients with a median follow-up time of 7.6 years. CTCs were detected in samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells previously stored in liquid-nitrogen using a previously-developed multi-marker quantitative PCR (QPCR)-based assay. DTCs were detected in bone marrow samples by immunocytochemical analysis using anti-cytokeratin antibodies. Results CTCs were detected in 7.9% of patients, while DTCs were found in 11.7%. Both CTC and DTC positivity predicted poor metastasis-free survival (MFS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS); MFS hazard ratio (HR) = 2.4 (P < 0.001)/1.9 (P = 0.006), and BCSS HR = 2.5 (P < 0.001)/2.3 (P = 0.01), for CTC/DTC status, respectively). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that CTC status was an independent prognostic variable for both MFS and BCSS. CTC status also identified a subset of patients with significantly poorer outcome among low-risk node negative patients that did not receive adjuvant systemic therapy (MFS HR 2.3 (P = 0.039), BCSS HR 2.9 (P = 0.017)). Using both tests provided increased prognostic information and indicated different relevance within biologically dissimilar breast cancer subtypes. Conclusions These results support the use of CTC analysis in early breast cancer to generate clinically useful prognostic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Molloy
- Division of Experimental Therapy, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Gerber B, Heintze K, Stubert J, Dieterich M, Hartmann S, Stachs A, Reimer T. Axillary lymph node dissection in early-stage invasive breast cancer: is it still standard today? Breast Cancer Res Treat 2011; 128:613-24. [PMID: 21523451 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-011-1532-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2010] [Accepted: 04/16/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Evaluation of axillary lymph node status by sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) are an inherent part of breast cancer treatment. Increased understanding of tumor biology has changed the prognostic and therapeutic impact of lymph node status. Non-invasive imaging techniques like axillary ultrasound, FDG-PET, or MRI revealed moderate sensitivity and high specificity in evaluation of lymph node status. Therefore, they are not sufficient for lymph node staging. Otherwise, the impact of remaining micrometastases and even macrometastases for prognosis and treatment decisions is overestimated. Considering tumor biology, the distinction of axillary metastases in isolated tumor cells (ITC, pN0(i+)); micrometastases (pN1mi), and macrometastases (pN1a) is not comprehensible. Increasing data support the thesis that remaining axillary metastases neither increase the axillary recurrence rate nor decrease overall survival. It is doubtful that axillary tumor cells are capable to complete the complex multistep metastatic process. If applied, axillary metastases are sensitive to systemic treatment and are targeted by postoperative tangential breast irradiation. Therefore, the controversy about the clinical relevance of tumor cell clusters or micrometastases in SLN is a sophisticated but not contemporary discussion. Currently, there is no indication for axillary surgery in elderly patients with favorable tumors and clinically tumor-free lymph nodes. Nonetheless, a rational and evidence-based approach to the management of clinically and sonographically N0 patients with planned breast-conserving surgery and limited tumor size is needed now.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Gerber
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rostock, Suedring 81, Rostock, Germany.
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Iwata H. Future treatment strategies for metastatic breast cancer: curable or incurable? Breast Cancer 2011; 19:200-5. [PMID: 21491123 DOI: 10.1007/s12282-011-0267-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2010] [Accepted: 03/10/2011] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Current Japanese and American guidelines for the surveillance of patients diagnosed with early stage breast cancer recommend regular follow-up including mammography, history, and physical examination; however, additional routine laboratory and imaging studies are not recommended because there is no evidence of improved clinical outcomes associated with the early detection of distant metastasis. Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains a largely incurable disease. The goals of treatment for MBC are to maintain quality of life and prolong survival. However, despite the emergence of new concepts including oligometastases, cancer stem cells, and the development of individualized therapies, clinical management and treatment guidelines remain largely unchanged. The future prospects for personalized management strategies for patients with MBC are described in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroji Iwata
- Department of Breast Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8681, Japan.
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Matsusaka S, Suenaga M, Mishima Y, Kuniyoshi R, Takagi K, Terui Y, Mizunuma N, Hatake K. Circulating tumor cells as a surrogate marker for determining response to chemotherapy in Japanese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Cancer Sci 2011; 102:1188-92. [PMID: 21401804 DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2011.01926.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of circulating tumor cells (CTC) as a surrogate marker of the clinical outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients in order to identify Japanese patients responsive to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Between January 2007 and April 2008, 64 patients with mCRC were enrolled in this prospective study. The treatment regimen was oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Collection of CTC from whole blood was performed at baseline and at 2 and 8-12 weeks after initiation of chemotherapy. Isolation and enumeration of CTC was performed using immunomagnetics. Patients with ≥3 CTC at baseline and at 2 and 8-12 weeks had a shorter median progression-free survival (8.5, 7.3 and 1.9 months, respectively) than those with <3 CTC (9.7, 10.4 and 9.1 months, respectively) (log-rank test: P = 0.047, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Patients with ≥3 CTC at 2 and 8-12 weeks had a shorter median overall survival (10.2 and 4.1 months, respectively) than those with <3 CTC (29.1 and 29.1 months, respectively) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). A spurious early rise in carcinoembryonic antigen level was observed in 11 patients showing a partial response. In contrast, no rise in early CTC level was observed among responders. Our data support the clinical utility of CTC enumeration in improving our ability to accurately assess treatment benefit and in expediting the identification of effective treatment regimens for individual Japanese patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Matsusaka
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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Janni W, Vogl FD, Wiedswang G, Synnestvedt M, Fehm T, Jückstock J, Borgen E, Rack B, Braun S, Sommer H, Solomayer E, Pantel K, Nesland J, Friese K, Naume B. Persistence of disseminated tumor cells in the bone marrow of breast cancer patients predicts increased risk for relapse--a European pooled analysis. Clin Cancer Res 2011; 17:2967-76. [PMID: 21415211 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-10-2515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prognostic significance of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in bone marrow (BM) of breast cancer patients at the time of primary diagnosis has been confirmed by a large pooled analysis. In view of the lack of early indicators for secondary adjuvant treatment, we here evaluated whether the persistence of DTCs after adjuvant therapy increases the risk of subsequent relapse and death. PATIENTS AND METHODS Individual patient data from 676 women with primary diagnosis of early breast cancer stages I-III from 3 follow-up studies were pooled. During clinical follow-up, patients underwent BM aspiration (BMA) to determine the presence of DTC. Tumor cells were detected by the standardized immunoassays. Univariate and multivariable proportional hazards models were estimated to assess the prognostic significance of DTC for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS Patients were followed for a median of 89 months. BMA was performed at median 37 months after diagnosis of breast cancer. At follow-up BMA, 15.5% of patients had DTCs. The presence of DTC was an independent indicator of poor prognosis for DFS, distant DFS (DDFS), cancer-specific survival, and OS during the first 5 years following cancer diagnosis (log-rank test P < 0.001 values for all investigated endpoints). CONCLUSION Among breast cancer patients, persistent DTCs during follow-up significantly predicted the increased risk for subsequent relapse and death. Analysis of DTC might serve as a clinically useful monitoring tool and should be tested as an indicator for secondary adjuvant treatment intervention within clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Janni
- Frauenklinik der Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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