OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas. METHODS: The presence of CTC was evaluated in 62 patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas before systemic therapy and at follow-up through immunomagnetic enrichment for mucin 1- and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive cells, followed by real-time RT-PCR of the tumor-associated genes KRT19, MUC1, EPCAM, CEACAM5 and BIRC5. RESULTS: The patients were stratified into groups according to CTC detection (CTC negative: with all marker genes negative; CTC positive: with at least 1 of the marker genes positive). Patients who were CTC positive at baseline had a significantly shorter median progression-free survival (PFS; 3.5 months, 95% CI: 2.9-4.2) and overall survival (OS; 5.8 months, 95% CI: 4.5-7.0) than patients lacking CTC (PFS 10.7 months, 95% CI: 6.9-14.4, p<0.001; OS 13.3 months, 95% CI: 8.0-18.6, p=0.003). Alterations in the marker profile during the course of chemotherapy were not predictive of clinical outcome or response to therapy. Yet, a favorable clinical response depended significantly on CTC negativity (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the presence of CTC is a major predictor of outcome in patients with gastric and gastroesophageal malignancies.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas. METHODS: The presence of CTC was evaluated in 62 patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas before systemic therapy and at follow-up through immunomagnetic enrichment for mucin 1- and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive cells, followed by real-time RT-PCR of the tumor-associated genes KRT19, MUC1, EPCAM, CEACAM5 and BIRC5. RESULTS: The patients were stratified into groups according to CTC detection (CTC negative: with all marker genes negative; CTC positive: with at least 1 of the marker genes positive). Patients who were CTC positive at baseline had a significantly shorter median progression-free survival (PFS; 3.5 months, 95% CI: 2.9-4.2) and overall survival (OS; 5.8 months, 95% CI: 4.5-7.0) than patients lacking CTC (PFS 10.7 months, 95% CI: 6.9-14.4, p<0.001; OS 13.3 months, 95% CI: 8.0-18.6, p=0.003). Alterations in the marker profile during the course of chemotherapy were not predictive of clinical outcome or response to therapy. Yet, a favorable clinical response depended significantly on CTC negativity (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the presence of CTC is a major predictor of outcome in patients with gastric and gastroesophageal malignancies.