The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients
After five years of endocrine therapy, patients with ER+ (estrogen receptor positive) breast cancer face the question of the benefit of further treatment. Ten years of endocrine therapy has been demonstrated to improve survival compared to five years. However, the individual benefit of continuation...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/10/11/407 |
| _version_ | 1797757839802892288 |
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| author | Katharina Pachmann Stefan Schuster |
| author_facet | Katharina Pachmann Stefan Schuster |
| author_sort | Katharina Pachmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | After five years of endocrine therapy, patients with ER+ (estrogen receptor positive) breast cancer face the question of the benefit of further treatment. Ten years of endocrine therapy has been demonstrated to improve survival compared to five years. However, the individual benefit of continuation remains unclear. Therefore, markers for predicting benefit from endocrine treatment and extended endocrine treatment are desperately needed. In this study the dynamics over time of the tumor cells circulating in peripheral blood of patients, circulating tumor cells/ circulating epithelial tumor cells (CTC/CETC), as the systemic part of the tumor were investigated in 36 patients with ER+ primary breast cancer. CTC/CETCs were monitored serially during and after endocrine therapy. After termination of endocrine therapy 12 patients showed an increase in CTC/CETCs, with 8 of 12 suffering relapse. No change or a reduction was observed in 24 patients, with 2 of 24 suffering relapse. Initial tumor size was marginally prognostic (<i>p</i> = 0.053) but not nodal status nor the mere number of CTC/CETCs. Only the trajectory of CTC/CETCs was a statistically significant predictor of relapse free survival (increasing cell numbers: mean = 940 days vs. stable/decreasing cell numbers mean not reached). Individual cases demonstrated that an increase of CTC/CETCs after discontinuation of tamoxifen therapy could be stopped by resuming the endocrine therapy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:21:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-96cf2e0c568a4de78ac4a641bd28d8d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:21:19Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-96cf2e0c568a4de78ac4a641bd28d8d12023-08-02T08:54:57ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942018-10-01101140710.3390/cancers10110407cancers10110407The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer PatientsKatharina Pachmann0Stefan Schuster1Medizinisches Labor Pachmann, SIMFO GmbH, Kurpromenade 2, 95448 Bayreuth, GermanySIMFO GmbH, Kurpromenade 2, 95448 Bayreuth, GermanyAfter five years of endocrine therapy, patients with ER+ (estrogen receptor positive) breast cancer face the question of the benefit of further treatment. Ten years of endocrine therapy has been demonstrated to improve survival compared to five years. However, the individual benefit of continuation remains unclear. Therefore, markers for predicting benefit from endocrine treatment and extended endocrine treatment are desperately needed. In this study the dynamics over time of the tumor cells circulating in peripheral blood of patients, circulating tumor cells/ circulating epithelial tumor cells (CTC/CETC), as the systemic part of the tumor were investigated in 36 patients with ER+ primary breast cancer. CTC/CETCs were monitored serially during and after endocrine therapy. After termination of endocrine therapy 12 patients showed an increase in CTC/CETCs, with 8 of 12 suffering relapse. No change or a reduction was observed in 24 patients, with 2 of 24 suffering relapse. Initial tumor size was marginally prognostic (<i>p</i> = 0.053) but not nodal status nor the mere number of CTC/CETCs. Only the trajectory of CTC/CETCs was a statistically significant predictor of relapse free survival (increasing cell numbers: mean = 940 days vs. stable/decreasing cell numbers mean not reached). Individual cases demonstrated that an increase of CTC/CETCs after discontinuation of tamoxifen therapy could be stopped by resuming the endocrine therapy.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/10/11/407breast cancercirculating tumor cellsendocrine therapylongtime surveillance |
| spellingShingle | Katharina Pachmann Stefan Schuster The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients Cancers breast cancer circulating tumor cells endocrine therapy longtime surveillance |
| title | The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients |
| title_full | The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients |
| title_fullStr | The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients |
| title_short | The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients |
| title_sort | value of monitoring the behavior of circulating tumor cells at the end of endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients |
| topic | breast cancer circulating tumor cells endocrine therapy longtime surveillance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/10/11/407 |
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