Antigenic profiles of disseminated breast tumour cells and microenvironment in bone marrow.
OBJECTIVE
Thirty per cent of breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node negative at primary surgery will relapse within 10 years. This may be caused by disseminated tumour cells from the primary tumour. This study report the phenotypic profiles of disseminated tumour cells and microenvironmental characteristics in bone marrow of breast cancer.


METHODS
We detected the biologic markers on the disseminated tumour cells with immunocytochemical staining, analysed the immunological changes through flow-cytometry, and investigated the u- PA activity in the plasma of bone marrow.


RESULTS
With the immunocytochemical staining of EMA and CK19, we detected micrometastasis in thirty out of 72 (41.67%) breast cancer patients. Compared with the primary tumours, disseminated tumour cells expressed low protein cyclin D1, P53, Ki-67, EGFR, and high protein P21. The percentage of memory CD4+ T cells was significantly higher in the micrometastasis-positive group than in the micrometastasis-negative group. Tumour size and axillary lymph node status were found to be significantly correlated with the u- PA activity level.


CONCLUSIONS
Immunophenotypic profiles of disseminated tumour cells could be measured by immunocytochemical staining and microenvironment can be analysed by flow cytometry.
Zhang
J
J
Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital/Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, P R China.
Shen
K-W
KW
Liu
G
G
Zhou
J
J
Shen
Q
Q
Shen
Z-Z
ZZ
Shao
Z-M
ZM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003600:Cytosol / Q000737:chemistry; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010960:Plasminogen Activators / Q000032:analysis; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000032:analysis
D015703:Antigens, CD; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D010960:Plasminogen Activators; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator