Table 2.
Treatment administered
| Treatment | Age (years) | Overall | CTC < 5 | CTC ≥ 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endocrine treatment | 56 (36 to 82) | 47 (20.0) | 33 (70.2) | 14 (29.8) |
| Aromatase inhibitor | 35 (74.5) | 25 (71.4) | 10 (28.6) | |
| Tamoxifen | 8 (17.0) | 6 (75.0) | 2 (25.0) | |
| Fulvestrant | 4 (8.5) | 2 (50.0) | 2 (50.0) | |
| Monochemotherapy | 57 (31 to 81) | 45 (19.1) | 23 (51.1) | 22 (48.9) |
| Taxane | 21 (46.7) | 12 (57.1) | 9 (42.9) | |
| Othera | 24 (53.3) | 11 (45.8) | 13 (54.2) | |
| Combination chemotherapy | 53 (23 to 78) | 64 (27.2) | 40 (62.5) | 24 (37.5) |
| Taxane + anthracycline | 25 (39.1) | 16 (64.0) | 9 (36.0) | |
| Taxane + capecitabine | 22 (34.4) | 13 (59.1) | 9 (40.9) | |
| Taxane + other cytotoxic agentb | 7 (10.9) | 5 (71.4) | 2 (28.6) | |
| Otherc | 10 (15.6) | 6 (60.0) | 4 (40.0) | |
| Chemotherapy + anti-HER2 drugs | 53 (28 to 81) | 40 (17.0) | 26 (65.0) | 14 (35.0) |
| Chemotherapy + trastuzumabd | 30 (75.0) | 17 (57) | 13 (43) | |
| Chemotherapy + lapatinib | 10 (25.0) | 9 (90) | 1 (10) | |
| Chemotherapy + bevacizumab | 49 (30 to 67) | 39 (16.6) | 19 (48.7) | 20 (51.3) |
| Monochemotherapy + bevacizumab | 32 (82.1) | 18 (56.2) | 14 (43.8) | |
| Polychemotherapy + bevacizumab | 7 (17.9) | 1 (14.3) | 6 (85.7) |
Data presented as n (%) or median (range). CTC, circulating tumor cell; HER-2, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2. aCapecitabine (n = 17), epirubicin (n = 1), vinorelbine (n = 1), gemcitabine (n = 3), carboplatin (n = 2). bTaxane + carboplatin (n = 6), taxane + gemcitabine (n = 1). c5-Fluorouracil + epirubicin + cyclophosphamid (n = 5), fluorouracil + doxorubicin + cyclophosphamid (n = 2), gemcitabine + carboplatin (n = 3). dTaxane-based chemotherapy + trastuzumab (n = 24).