Published in:
01-08-2013 | Original Paper
Circulating tumor cells in metastatic colorectal cancer: do we need an alternative cutoff?
Published in: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology | Issue 8/2013
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Purpose
To assess the prognostic and predictive value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) irrespective of detection level.
Materials and methods
We evaluated the prognostic and predictive significance of CTC count at baseline and under treatment in 119 mCRC subjects and compared the standard cutoff (≥3 CTCs/7.5 mL to ≥1 CTCs/7.5 mL).
Results
An overall comparison was made between patients with 0, 1–2 and ≥3 CTC (median PFS 8, 4 and 5 months, respectively). Two poor prognostic groups were found, including patients with ≥1 CTCs before and during treatment and patients with 0 CTC at baseline who converted to ≥1 CTCs (p = 0.014).
Conclusions
The presence of at least 1 CTC at baseline count is predictive for poor prognosis in mCRC patients. Patients with 1–2 CTC should be switched from the favorable prognostic group—conventionally defined by the presence of <3 CTC—to the unfavorable, deserving a more careful monitoring.