Circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of patients with ovarian carcinoma do not predict prognosis.
BACKGROUND
Ovarian carcinoma is apparently restricted for a long time to the peritoneal cavity. However, about 50% of patients with a surgically documented complete intraabdominal response experience later recurrence. Occult hematogenous micrometastases are common to most epithelial malignancies and have recently been found in 30% of bone marrow samples of ovarian carcinoma patients, as examined by immunocytochemistry. Moreover, these findings were associated with poor progression-free and overall survival. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the possible prognostic significance of tumor cells detected in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of ovarian carcinoma patients by an immunomagnetic method.


METHODS
In a total of 90 patients with histologically proven epithelial ovarian carcinoma, blood and (in 73 cases) bone marrow samples were taken. Tumor cells were identified by a microbead coated with the antibody MOC-31, which recognizes an epitope regularly expressed on ovarian carcinoma cells.


RESULTS
The authors detected carcinoma cells in the bone marrow in 21% of ovarian carcinoma patients, and in the peripheral blood in 12% of patients. Mean overall survival was 25 and 28 months for patients with or without circulating tumor cells, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Ovarian carcinoma cells seem to reach peripheral circulation more frequently than expected. However, in contrast to an earlier report, detection of tumor cells in the bone marrow and/or blood was not associated with poor prognosis in ovarian carcinoma patients. This discrepancy remains unexplained, but characterization of circulating ovarian carcinoma cells for their malignant and metastatic capacity is clearly warranted.
Marth
Christian
C
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria. christian.marth@uibk.ac.at
Kisic
Jelena
J
Kaern
Janne
J
Tropé
Claes
C
Fodstad
Øystein
Ø
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm