Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Primary Breast Cancer: Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have recently been shown to be an independent predictor of progression-free and overall survival in patients undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer. This study evaluates the presence and significance of CTCs in patient undergoing surgical resection of clinically localized primary breast cancer. Patients undergoing surgery for clinically localized primary breast cancer were enrolled into a prospective study. Thirty milliliters of blood was drawn and studied using the CellSearch assay. Forty-one patients were enrolled at a single tertiary referral center. Ten patients (24.4%) had detectable CTCs preoperatively (PreOp). Nine (30%) patients were found to have CTCs postoperatively (PostOp). Overall, 16 (39%) were found to have CTCs either PreOp or PostOp. Hormone-negative patients were significantly more likely to have CTCs than hormone-positive patients. No other pathologic factor was predictive of the presence of CTCs. CTCs are detectable and quantifiable in breast surgery patients. CTCs were more likely to be found in hormone receptor negative patients. Further study will allow correlation with other pathological variables and clinical outcome.