Abstract | BACKGROUND: PATIENTS & METHODS: A single blood sample for CTC and plasma DNA measurement was taken approximately 1.5 years after surgery from 19 women with histologically confirmed primary breast cancer and small pulmonary nodules. The CellSearch system was used to enrich and enumerate CTCs from peripheral blood. DNA was isolated from plasma and was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR for DNA concentration, integrity and evidence of HER2 amplification. RESULTS: Of the 19 individuals with 'indeterminate' early or metastatic breast cancer, 17 demonstrated no evidence of CTCs, one had one CTC and one had three CTCs. The mean plasma DNA concentration was low and within the range detected in healthy female controls, as were the values for DNA integrity. HER2 amplification was detected in the plasma DNA in four of the eight patients with HER2 immunohistochemistry 3+ tumors, but there was no overlap with the two CTC-positive patients. None of the patients have relapsed thus far (median follow-up: 3.5 years). CONCLUSION: Both CTC and plasma DNA analyses together suggested that these patients had little evidence of metastatic disease. Future studies will be designed to assess the utility of these biomarkers in the follow-up of a larger number of women with breast cancer.
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Authors | Jacqui A Shaw, James Brown, R Charles Coombes, Jimmy Jacob, Rachel Payne, Belinda Lee, Karen Page, Natasha Hava, Justin Stebbing |
Journal | Biomarkers in medicine
(Biomark Med)
Vol. 5
Issue 1
Pg. 87-91
(Feb 2011)
ISSN: 1752-0371 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 21319970
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
- Biomarkers, Tumor
- DNA
- Receptor, ErbB-2
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Topics |
- Biomarkers, Tumor
(blood)
- Breast Neoplasms
(blood, diagnosis, metabolism, pathology)
- DNA
(blood)
- Early Detection of Cancer
- Female
- Humans
- Multiple Pulmonary Nodules
(secondary)
- Neoplasm Metastasis
- Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
(metabolism)
- Receptor, ErbB-2
(metabolism)
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