Circulating tumor cells and response to chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer: SWOG S0500.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Increased circulating tumor cells (CTCs; five or more CTCs per 7.5 mL of whole blood) are associated with poor prognosis in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A randomized trial of patients with persistent increase in CTCs tested whether changing chemotherapy after one cycle of first-line chemotherapy would improve the primary outcome of overall survival (OS).

Patients and methods

Patients with MBC who did not have increased CTCs at baseline remained on initial therapy until progression (arm A). Patients with initially increased CTCs that decreased after 21 days of therapy remained on initial therapy (arm B). Patients with persistently increased CTCs after 21 days of therapy were randomly assigned to continue initial therapy (arm C1) or change to an alternative chemothe

SUBMITTER: Smerage JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4209100 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature