title: HER2-positive DTCs/CTCs in breast cancer.
abstract: The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood as well as disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow of breast cancer patients is associated with a worsened prognosis in the primary as well as in the metastatic situation. Next to their detection, evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) expression is a valuable feature of CTCs/DTCs. As the HER2 status may change during disease progression CTCs/DTCs might (1) characterize the phenotype of minimal residual disease in the adjuvant setting and (2) serve as a "real time biopsy" of metastatic breast cancer. Phenotyping of CTCs/DTCs will thus help to understand mechanism of resistance to HER2-directed therapy. Moreover, patients that are likely to benefit from HER2-directed therapy despite a HER2-negative primary tumor might be identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tuebingen, Calwer Strasse 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hartkopf
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banys
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fehm
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D061206:Neoplasm Micrometastasis / Q000473:pathology; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases