Table I.
Tumor characteristics for the studied population and correlation with CTC detection prior to and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
| Basal status (n=24)
|
Post-chemotherapy (n=24)
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | CTCs+ (n=17) | p-value | No. (%) | CTCs+ (n=13) | p-value | |
| Age (years; 55.38)a | 0.048a | 0.500 | ||||
| <50 | 9/24 (37.5) | 8 | 8/24 (33) | 5 | ||
| ≥50 | 15/24 (62.5) | 9 | 16/24 (67) | 8 | ||
| Stage | 0.430 | 0.240 | ||||
| IIA–IIB | 9/23 (39.1) | 8 | 9/24 (37.5) | 6 | ||
| IIIA–IIIB | 14/23 (60.9) | 8 | 15/24 (62.5) | 7 | ||
| Histology | 0.802 | 0.600 | ||||
| Ductal | 11/23 (48) | 8 | 12/23 (52.2) | 7 | ||
| Lobular | 6/23 (26) | 4 | 5/23 (21.7) | 3 | ||
| Other | 6/23 (26) | 4 | 6/23 (26.1) | 2 | ||
| Lymph node status (N) | 0.100 | 0.150 | ||||
| N0 | 7/23 (30.4) | 6 | 3/21 (14) | 1 | ||
| N1 | 11/23 (47.9) | 7 | 13/21 (62) | 7 | ||
| N2 | 5/23 (21.7) | 3 | 5/21 (24) | 2 | ||
| Estrogen receptor (ER) | 0.093b | 0.097b | ||||
| ER-positive | 13/22 (59) | 11 | 13/22 (59.1) | 9 | ||
| ER-negative | 9/22 (41) | 4 | 9/22 (40.9) | 2 | ||
CTCs+, number of patients with CK-positive cells.
a
Satistically significant;
b
borderline significant.