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Rich66 · 07-17-2009, 07:42 PM

1: Am J Clin Pathol. 2009 Aug;132(2):237-45.: Circulating and disseminated tumor cells in the management of breast cancer.

Ross JS, Slodkowska EA.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mail Code 81, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208, USA.
Despite the advances in early detection and treatment of cancer, patients continue to die of the disease even when they seek care at an early stage. For patients with breast cancer, it is now possible to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the bloodstream and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow by using immunocytochemical and molecular methods. CTCs and DTCs have been found to share similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics with so-called breast cancer stem cells, a finding that could potentially explain the eventual relapse of disease in a patient previously considered to have been cured by primary therapy. In some studies, the presence of CTCs or DTCs at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer is an independent adverse prognostic variable. However, before CTC/DTC testing can achieve standard-of-care status, there must be improvement in the sensitivity, precision, and reproducibility of the detection methods.

1: Cancer Lett. 2009 Jul 18. [Epub ahead of print]

Circulating tumor cells with a putative stem cell phenotype in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer.

Theodoropoulos PA, Polioudaki H, Agelaki S, Kallergi G, Saridaki Z, Mavroudis D, Georgoulias V.
Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
The CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) and ALDH1(+) cell phenotypes are associated with stemness and enhanced tumorigenic potential in breast cancer. We assessed the expression of CD44, CD24 and ALDH1 on tumor cells circulating in the peripheral blood (CTCs) of patients with metastatic breast cancer using triple-marker immunofluorescence microscopy. Among a total of 1439 CTCs identified in 20 (66.7%) out of 30 patients, 35.2% had the stem-like/tumorigenic phenotype CD44(+)/CD24(-/low), whereas 17.7% of the CTCs analyzed in seven patients, were ALDH1(high)/CD24(-/low). In conclusion, we report the existence of a subpopulation of CTCs with putative stem cell progenitor phenotypes in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
PMID: 19619935 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

07-17-2009, 07:42 PM	#39
Rich66 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: South East Wisconsin Posts: 3,431	1: Am J Clin Pathol. 2009 Aug;132(2):237-45. Circulating and disseminated tumor cells in the management of breast cancer. Ross JS, Slodkowska EA. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mail Code 81, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208, USA. Despite the advances in early detection and treatment of cancer, patients continue to die of the disease even when they seek care at an early stage. For patients with breast cancer, it is now possible to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the bloodstream and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow by using immunocytochemical and molecular methods. CTCs and DTCs have been found to share similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics with so-called breast cancer stem cells, a finding that could potentially explain the eventual relapse of disease in a patient previously considered to have been cured by primary therapy. In some studies, the presence of CTCs or DTCs at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer is an independent adverse prognostic variable. However, before CTC/DTC testing can achieve standard-of-care status, there must be improvement in the sensitivity, precision, and reproducibility of the detection methods. 1: Cancer Lett. 2009 Jul 18. [Epub ahead of print] Circulating tumor cells with a putative stem cell phenotype in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer. Theodoropoulos PA, Polioudaki H, Agelaki S, Kallergi G, Saridaki Z, Mavroudis D, Georgoulias V. Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. The CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) and ALDH1(+) cell phenotypes are associated with stemness and enhanced tumorigenic potential in breast cancer. We assessed the expression of CD44, CD24 and ALDH1 on tumor cells circulating in the peripheral blood (CTCs) of patients with metastatic breast cancer using triple-marker immunofluorescence microscopy. Among a total of 1439 CTCs identified in 20 (66.7%) out of 30 patients, 35.2% had the stem-like/tumorigenic phenotype CD44(+)/CD24(-/low), whereas 17.7% of the CTCs analyzed in seven patients, were ALDH1(high)/CD24(-/low). In conclusion, we report the existence of a subpopulation of CTCs with putative stem cell progenitor phenotypes in patients with metastatic breast cancer. PMID: 19619935 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]