PURPOSE: Tumor cell detection (TCD) in bone marrow is an outstanding prognostic factor in breast cancer. There is only one other study that has investigated more than 300 patients with a median follow-up of more than 5 years (J. L. Mansi et al., Lancet, 354:197-202, 1999). We report data from 727 patients with a median follow-up period of 6.5 years. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In a prospective study, intraoperatively aspirated bone marrow was screened for micrometastatic cancer cells. We used an immunocytological method (monoclonal mucin antibody 2E11; the avidin-biotin complex method). RESULTS: Forty-three percent of the patients were TCD positive. Sixty percent of the patients with distant metastases were tumor cell positive (155 of 258 patients). Forty-nine percent of the patients with positive TCD developed distant metastases (155 of 315 patients). TCD was an independent prognostic factor for clinical outcome after a median follow-up time of 6.5 years. The prognostic impact of TCD and tumor size remains constant with the time, whereas the impact of grading and progesterone receptor on risk seems to decrease with longer follow-up time. CONCLUSIONS: TCD remains an independent prognostic factor The impact of TCD does not change with longer follow-up time. TCD is a reliable prognostic factor and provides important information about the process of metastasis.
PURPOSE:Tumor cell detection (TCD) in bone marrow is an outstanding prognostic factor in breast cancer. There is only one other study that has investigated more than 300 patients with a median follow-up of more than 5 years (J. L. Mansi et al., Lancet, 354:197-202, 1999). We report data from 727 patients with a median follow-up period of 6.5 years. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In a prospective study, intraoperatively aspirated bone marrow was screened for micrometastatic cancer cells. We used an immunocytological method (monoclonal mucin antibody 2E11; the avidin-biotin complex method). RESULTS: Forty-three percent of the patients were TCD positive. Sixty percent of the patients with distant metastases were tumor cell positive (155 of 258 patients). Forty-nine percent of the patients with positive TCD developed distant metastases (155 of 315 patients). TCD was an independent prognostic factor for clinical outcome after a median follow-up time of 6.5 years. The prognostic impact of TCD and tumor size remains constant with the time, whereas the impact of grading and progesterone receptor on risk seems to decrease with longer follow-up time. CONCLUSIONS: TCD remains an independent prognostic factor The impact of TCD does not change with longer follow-up time. TCD is a reliable prognostic factor and provides important information about the process of metastasis.
Authors: Tanja Fehm; Oliver Hoffmann; Bahriye Aktas; Sven Becker; Erich F Solomayer; Diethelm Wallwiener; Rainer Kimmig; Sabine Kasimir-Bauer Journal: Breast Cancer Res Date: 2009-08-10 Impact factor: 6.466
Authors: Tanja Fehm; Sven Becker; Graziella Becker-Pergola; Karl Sotlar; Gerhard Gebauer; Silke Dürr-Störzer; Hans Neubauer; Diethelm Wallwiener; Erich-Franz Solomayer Journal: Breast Cancer Res Date: 2006 Impact factor: 6.466
Authors: Tanja Fehm; Natalia Krawczyk; Erich-Franz Solomayer; Graziella Becker-Pergola; Silke Dürr-Störzer; Hans Neubauer; Harald Seeger; Annette Staebler; Diethelm Wallwiener; Sven Becker Journal: Breast Cancer Res Date: 2008-09-15 Impact factor: 6.466