Table 1.
Demographic statistics. Number of CTC-positive (CTC+) and CTC-negative (CTC-) blood samples divided according to clinical variables of the patients at primary diagnosis. p-values were calculated using Welch’s two-sided t-test and the multinomial exact test. CTC values were not available for three patients.
| At Primary Diagnosis | N = 60 | CTC+ (n = 20) | CTC− (n = 37) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||||
| Mean | 52 | 55 | 49 | 0.0848 |
| Range | 28–76 | 39–76 | 28–75 | |
| ER | ||||
| Positive | 60 | 20 | 37 | - |
| PR | ||||
| Positive | 54 | 18 | 34 | 0.9411 |
| Negative | 6 | 2 | 3 | |
| ERBB2 | ||||
| Positive | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0.8235 |
| Negative | 43 | 15 | 26 | |
| Grade | ||||
| G1–2 | 29 | 11 | 18 | 0.4656 |
| G3 | 10 | 2 | 7 | |
| T-stage | ||||
| 1–2 | 34 | 12 | 21 | 0.7028 |
| 3–4 | 12 | 3 | 8 | |
| N-stage | ||||
| 0 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 0.9613 |
| 1–3 | 33 | 11 | 21 | |
| initial M-stage | ||||
| 0 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0.8683 |
| 1 | 12 | 2 | 9 | |
| At blood draw | N = 97 | CTC+ (n = 31) | CTC− (n = 66) | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| Mean | 62 | 63 | 62 | 0.8006 |
| Range | 34–86 | 39–86 | 34–80 | |
| Therapy | ||||
| Naïve | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0.5536 |
| Endocrine | 37 | 10 | 27 | |
| Chemo | 51 | 17 | 34 | |
| Stage | ||||
| Stable | 37 | 7 | 30 | 0.0476 |
| Progression | 38 | 17 | 21 |