title: Tumor cell contamination of peripheral blood stem cell transplants and bone marrow in high-risk breast cancer patients.
abstract: Twenty-one high-risk patients with primary stage II/III breast cancer were treated with high-dose chemotherapy comprising etoposide, ifosfamide, carboplatin and epirubicin (VIC-E). Tumor cells of epithelial origin were analyzed using the monoclonal antibodies CK2 (IgG1) and A45-B/B3 (IgG1) against cytokeratin (CK) components in bone marrow (BM) aspirates prior to chemotherapy, and in peripheral blood stem cell transplants (PBSCT). They were separated after the first (21/21 patients) and the second cycle (16/21 patients) of induction chemotherapy with VIP-E (etoposide, ifosfamide, cisplatin, epirubicin). Preliminary results showed CK positive tumor cells in 40% (14/35) of the analyzed transplants. In 7/12 (58.3%) patients, CK positive tumor cells were detectable in BM prior to treatment. Sixteen patients were separated after the 1st and 2nd cycle of VIP-E. PBSCT of 14/16 patients were assessable for presence of CK positive tumor cells. Our preliminary results demonstrate a lower tumor cell contamination of PBSCT separated after the 2nd cycle of induction therapy (14.3%) compared to contamination after the first induction therapy (64.3%). To date, 4/21 patients have experienced a relapse, and three of these patients had tumor cell positive transplants. Due to the small patient number only a trend towards a superior relapse-free survival in the patient group with CK negative transplants can be shown by Kaplan-Meier analysis.
authors.affiliation: 2 Medizinische Klinik, Zentralklinikum, Augsburg, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wischnik
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ehnle
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doukas
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ehret
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schlimok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016465:Bone Marrow Purging; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002469:Cell Separation; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007633:Keratins