Detection and prognostic significance of circulating tumour cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer according to immunohistochemical subtypes.

Background: The enumeration of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) with the EpCAM-based CellSearch system has prognostic significance in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The aim of this study was to explore potential differences in the detection and prognostic significance of CTCs in MBC according to immunohistochemical subtypes of breast cancer.

Methods: CellSearch CTC counts were obtained from 154 MBC patients before first-line systemic treatment between November 2007 and August 2012.

A dynamic clinical pathway for the treatment of patients with early breast cancer is a tool for better cancer care: implementation and prospective analysis between 2002-2010.

Background: Due to increasing the complexity of breast cancer treatment it is of paramount importance to develop structured care in order to avoid a chaotic and non-consistent management of patients. Clinical pathways, a result of the adaptation of the documents used in industrial quality management namely the Standard Operating Procedures, can be used to improve efficiency and quality of care. They also aim to re-centre the focus on the patient's overall journey, rather than the contribution of each specialty or caring function independently.

Prognostic significance of disseminated tumor cells as detected by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in patients with breast cancer.

Background: In this study we have validated the feasibility of detecting disseminated tumor cells (DTC) by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Bone marrow samples from a large cohort of patients with breast cancer were analyzed for the presence of DTC by immunocytochemistry (ICC) or a molecular-based method.

Patients And Methods: Bone marrow samples were collected from 170 patients with breast cancer with stage I-IV disease before the initiation of any local or systemic treatment.

Real-time RT-PCR detection of disseminated tumour cells in bone marrow has superior prognostic significance in comparison with circulating tumour cells in patients with breast cancer.

This study assessed the ability of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis to detect disseminated epithelial cells (DEC) in peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) of patients with breast cancer (BC). Detection of DEC in BM is an obvious choice in BC, but blood sampling is more convenient. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the detection of DEC in either PB or BM predicts overall survival (OS).