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Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Published in: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3/2009

01-12-2009 | Clinical trial

Correlation of HER2 status between primary tumors and corresponding circulating tumor cells in advanced breast cancer patients

Authors: Marta Pestrin, Silvia Bessi, Francesca Galardi, Mara Truglia, Annibale Biggeri, Chiara Biagioni, Silvia Cappadona, Laura Biganzoli, Augusto Giannini, Angelo Di Leo

Published in: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment | Issue 3/2009

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Abstract

Biocharacterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients may represent a real-time tumor biopsy. We assessed HER2 status on CTCs from blood samples of ABC patients. CTCs were separated and stained using the CellSearch System®. HER2 status was assessed by immunofluorescence and, when technically feasible, by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Blood samples were obtained from 66 ABC patients. Forty patients had a positive CTC sample (61%) and of these, 15 (37%) had HER2 + CTCs. We found non-concordant results in 32% of cases: 29% (8/28) of HER2-negative primary tumors had HER2-positive CTCs and 42% (5/12) of HER2-positive primary tumors had HER2-negative CTCs (k = 0.278). Our study suggests that a subset of patients with HER2-negative primary tumors develops HER2-positive CTCs during disease progression.
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Metadata
Title
Correlation of HER2 status between primary tumors and corresponding circulating tumor cells in advanced breast cancer patients
Authors
Marta Pestrin
Silvia Bessi
Francesca Galardi
Mara Truglia
Annibale Biggeri
Chiara Biagioni
Silvia Cappadona
Laura Biganzoli
Augusto Giannini
Angelo Di Leo
Publication date
01-12-2009
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment / Issue 3/2009
Print ISSN: 0167-6806
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7217
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0461-7

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