CTC measurement after adjuvant chemotherapy- correlation w increasd recurrence risk?
 

One of simplest descriptions of the value of CTC test.
 

http://www.nnpkit.com/veridex/cellsearch/

made sense to me.

Thanks a million, Lani!
ma

another great article on CTCs
http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.or...iteid=aacrjnls

I have not heard of this test before. Is this CTC test currently only being used for patients who have metastatic breast cancer, or can anyone have it done?

Alice, I just asked for it! I had read so much about it and wanted one more test along with tumor markers, scans and brain MRI to know where I stood. Helped my brain, if nothing else! ma

This is the most intriguing paragraph to me:

"CK-19 mRNA in CTCs was detected in 41% of the patients prior to the start of adjuvant chemotherapy and in 32.7% upon completion of such therapy. Among the 258 patients initially testing negative for CK-19 mRNA prior to chemotherapy, 21.7% tested positive at completion. Among the 179 patients initially testing positive for CK-19 mRNA prior to chemotherapy, 51.4% tested negative at completion." (emphasis mine)

Can't this also mean the treatment itself made them worse, not better?

Hopeful

Or would it mean it just didn't work and the disease progressed?
Interesting. ma