The Detection And Prediction Of Circulating Tumor Cells In Breast Cancer Patients

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Article Date: 17 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Researchers report a new, noninvasive method for measuring circulating tumor cells in patients with breast cancer, information which can be used to predict the likelihood that cancer will spread. The technique detects circulating tumor cells with 100 percent specificity and 88 percent sensitivity, researchers report.

"Metastasis, or the spread of cancer beyond the original site, is the main cause of death in breast cancer," said Tim Molloy, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. "If we can improve ways of measuring risk of metastasis, we can more effectively target therapy and manage these patients."

Specificity is a statistical calculation that measures the likelihood that a negative result will be associated with the absence of disease. Sensitivity measures the likelihood that a positive result will be associated with disease.

Molloy and colleagues used a quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based detection platform that combined genetic information from four accepted tumor markers into a single score. The higher the score, the greater likelihood of circulating tumor cells.

When researchers applied this test to 131 individuals, an elevated score was observed in 88 percent of patients with metastatic breast cancer, 18 percent of patients with non-metastatic breast cancer and none of the healthy control participants.

After identifying patients whose tumors gave rise to high numbers of circulating tumor cells, a technique called microarray analysis was used to build a genetic profile of their tumors. Microarrays allow researchers to look at thousands of genes simultaneously in a particular cell or tissue to determine which are activated at the time of sampling. From these data Molloy and colleagues were able to build a specific 'genetic fingerprint' of breast tumors which may give rise to large numbers of circulating tumor cells.

With this knowledge it was possible to use microarray analysis to predict whether a tumor was likely to disseminate large numbers of tumor cells and therefore metastasize in the future. Testing this on a small independent patient group, researchers found those with a tumor having a genetic profile corresponding to lower levels of circulating tumor cells had a longer time to metastasis at 51.4 months, compared with 29.6 months among those who had a tumor with a genetic profile consistent with higher levels of circulating tumor cells

The detection and prediction of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer patients
Abstract 3696A

This was presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes nearly 27,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is the only journal worldwide dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.

American Association for Cancer Research