Table 1.
Clinical features of patients with circulating tumor cells
| No CTC (n = 39) | CTC (n = 34) | P value | Estimate (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at primary diagnosis, years, mean (SD) | 58.38 (11.85) | 55.1 (11.04) | 0.444 | − 2.76 (− 8.49, 2.84) |
| Age at first CTC evaluation, years, mean (SD) | 63.53 (11.69) | 59.58 (10.7) | 0.163 | − 4.11 (− 9.27, 1.63) |
| Stage at diagnosis, n (%) | 0.679 | – | ||
| I | 4 (10.53%) | 5 (14.71%) | ||
| IA | 1 (2.63%) | 0 (0%) | ||
| II | 5 (13.16%) | 4 (11.76%) | ||
| IIA | 1 (2.63%) | 4 (11.76%) | ||
| III | 11 (28.95%) | 7 (20.59%) | ||
| IIIA | 2 (5.26%) | 0 (0%) | ||
| IIIC | 0 (0%) | 2 (5.88%) | ||
| IV | 14 (36.84%) | 11 (32.35%) | ||
| Lymphocyte node involvement, n (%) | 0.881 | – | ||
| N0 | 11 (31.43%) | 8 (25.81%) | ||
| N1 | 11 (31.43%) | 14 (45.16%) | ||
| N2 | 6 (17.14%) | 0 (0%) | ||
| N3 | 6 (17.14%) | 9 (29.03%) | ||
| Histologic subtype, n (%) | 0.964 | – | ||
| Invasive lobular | 6 (15.38%) | 4 (11.76%) | ||
| Invasive ductal | 31 (79.49%) | 29 (85.29%) | ||
| Inflammatory invasive lobular | 1 (2.56%) | 1 (2.94%) | ||
| Inflammatory | 2 (5.13%) | 2 (5.88%) | ||
| % of ER+ cells, mean (SD) | 65.82 (42.48) | 59.79 (40.93) | 0.386 | 0 (− 10, 0) |
| % of PR+ cells, mean (SD) | 38.97 (40.04) | 26.35 (33.78) | 0.171 | − 4 (− 20, 0) |
| % of Ki-67+ cells, mean (SD) | 27.08 (17.13) | 31.59 (21.55) | 0.514 | 5 (− 5, 10) |
| HER2+ | 7 (17.95%) | 7 (22.58%) | 0.766 | 1.33 (0.35–5.11) |
| Triple-negative | 4 (10.81%) | 3 (9.68%) | 1.000 | 0.89 (0.12–5.73) |
| Tumor grade | 0.985 | – | ||
| 1 | 4 (10.53%) | 4 (12.12%) | ||
| 2 | 17 (44.74%) | 14 (42.42%) | ||
| 3 | 17 (44.74%) | 15 (45.45%) | ||
| Bisphosphonates | 9 (23.68%) | 7 (20.59%) | 0.784 | 0.84 (0.23–2.94) |
| Denosumab | 16 (41.03%) | 5 (14.71%) | 0.019 | 0.25 (0.06–0.86) |
| Radiotherapy | 22 (56.41%) | 13 (38.24%) | 0.160 | 0.48 (0.17–1.35) |
| Relapse | ||||
| Any | 31 (79.49%) | 25 (73.53%) | 0.589 | 0.72 (0.21–2.45) |
| Local | 3 (7.69%) | 4 (11.76%) | 0.698 | 1.59 (0.25–11.72) |
| Metastasis | 26 (66.67%) | 19 (55.88%) | 0.470 | 0.64 (0.22–1.82) |
| Days between primary diagnosis and relapse, mean (SD) | 1954.08 (2042.25) | 1893.48 (1853.86) | 0.966 | − 9.37 (− 1000, 756) |
| Established metastatic disease at CTC evaluation | 35 (89.74%) | 30 (88.24%) | 1.000 | 0.86 (0.15–5.04) |
| Number of metastatic sites, mean (SD) | 2.09 (1.01) | 1.9 (0.94) | 0.473 | 0 (− 1, 0) |
| Metastasis site, n (%) | ||||
| Bone | 27 (69.23%) | 17 (51.52%) | 0.150 | 0.45 (0.15–1.28) |
| Liver | 10 (25.64%) | 12 (36.36%) | 0.447 | 1.57 (0.51–4.9) |
| Lymph node | 9 (23.08%) | 10 (30.3%) | 0.599 | 1.38 (0.43–4.54) |
| Pleural | 7 (17.95%) | 2 (6.06%) | 0.162 | 0.29 (0.03–1.68) |
| Peritoneal | 3 (7.69%) | 4 (12.12%) | 0.698 | 1.59 (0.25–11.72) |
| Lung | 4 (10.26%) | 4 (12.12%) | 1.000 | 1.16 (0.2–6.83) |
| Skin | 3 (7.69%) | 0 (0%) | 0.243 | 0 (0–2.74) |
| Brain | 2 (5.13%) | 2 (6.06%) | 1.000 | 1.15 (0.08–16.76) |
| Uterus | 1 (2.56%) | 1 (3.03%) | 1.000 | 1.15 (0.01–92.67) |
| Muscular | 1 (2.56%) | 2 (6.06%) | 0.595 | 2.35 (0.12–143.61) |
Abbreviations: ER Estrogen receptor, HER2 Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, PR Progesterone receptor
The table shows clinical features of patients with and without circulating tumor cells (CTCs)