Significance of Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients within a Randomized, Phase II Trial: TBCRC 019.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are prognostic in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We tested whether EpCAM-based capture system (CellSearch) is effective in patients with triple-negative (TN) MBC, and whether CTC apoptosis and clustering enhances the prognostic role of CTC.

Experimental design

CTC enumeration and apoptosis were determined using the CXC CellSearch kit at baseline and days 15 and 29 in blood drawn from TN MBC patients who participated in a prospective randomized phase II trial of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) with or without tigatuzumab. Association between levels of CTC and patient outcomes was assessed using logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazards modeling.

Results

Nineteen of 52 (36.5%), 14

SUBMITTER: Paoletti C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5521206 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature