title: Disseminated and circulating tumour cells and their role in breast cancer.
abstract: Metastatic spread of the primary tumour           is responsible for the vast majority of cancer-related           deaths. Detection of disseminated tumour cells in the           bone marrow and circulating tumour cells in the peripheral           blood is correlated with early metastatic relapse           in breast cancer. Positive detection of disseminated           tumour cells was associated with poor overall           survival of patients. Current research has been focused           on integrating minimal residual disease as a           prognostic and predictive tool in the management of           breast cancer. Detection of disseminated tumour           cells/circulating tumour cells is not yet standardized           in clinical practice because of using different enrichment           and detection methods. Therefore, standardization           of the used methods is necessary in the future.           Previous achieved findings must be verified in larger           prospective multicentre studies. Further characterization           of disseminated tumour cells/circulating tumour cells will be essential for developing and monitoring           the efficacy of new therapeutic concepts. The           aim of this review was to provide a short survey of           the metastatic cascade and cancer stem cell theory,           and data on the molecular and functional characterization           of disseminated tumour cells/circulating tumour           cells. Finally, we discuss the potential clinical           impact of disseminated tumour cells/circulating tumour           cells and results of several recent studies.
authors: Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. michaela.cabinakova@vfn.cz
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Čabiňaková
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Tesařová
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology