Analysis of Circulating Epithelial Tumor Cells in Peripheral Blood in Patients With Primary Non-metastatic Breast Cancer Under Adjuvant Radiotherapy

Analysis of Circulating Epithelial Tumor Cells in Peripheral Blood in Patients With Primary Non-metastatic Breast Cancer Under Adjuvant Radiotherapy

The aim of this study was to investigate the systemic effect of radiotherapy on patients with primary non-metastatic breast cancer using CETC and to analyze possible changes in CETC quantity under adjuvant radiotherapy.

In cooperation with the Women's Hospital of the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, a total of 161 patients with clinically proven, primarily non-metastatic breast cancer were sampled and examined before and after radiotherapy over a period from 09/2002 to 09/2012. The MAINTRAC method was used to quantitatively determine the amount of CETC in the blood and to observe its peritherapeutic course.

Inclusion Criteria:

• histologically confirmed invasive breast carcinoma
• age >= 18 years
• exclusive treatment at the Jena University Hospital
• complete curative-intended adjuvant or definite radiotherapy
• at least 2 blood collections (before the start of therapy, after the end of the RT)

Exclusion Criteria:

• presence of metastases
• recurrence
• DCIS, inflammatory breast cancer
• second malignancy <10 years before diagnosis of breast cancer
• radiotherapeutic pretreatment