title: Prevalence and prognostic value of disseminated tumor cells in primary endometrial, cervical and vulvar cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Disseminated tumor cell (DTC) detection in bone marrow (BM) of primary breast cancer patients predicts poor prognosis. This study investigates the prevalence of DTCs and their prognostic significance in primary gynecologic malignancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  DTCs from BM aspirates of 603 patients with endometrial (311), cervical (228) and vulvar cancer (64) were identified by the pancytokeratin antibody A45B/B3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DTCs were detected in 18% of BM aspirates (21, 16 and 16% in endometrial, cervical and vulvar cancer, respectively). In cervical cancer, DTCs were associated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, nodal status and lymphangiosis. There was no association between BM status and prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tumor cell dissemination is common in gynecological cancer. In contrast to breast cancer, DTCs that derive from cervical, endometrial or vulvar cancer have less potential to initiate metastatic regrow. The molecular mechanisms underlying this observation warrant further investigation.
authors: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Tuebingen, Calwer Strasse 7, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
authors: Christina Barbara
authors: CB
authors: Walter
authors: Florin Andrei
authors: FA
authors: Taran
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Wallwiener
authors: Ralf
authors: R
authors: Rothmund
authors: Bernhard
authors: B
authors: Kraemer
authors: Natalia
authors: N
authors: Krawczyk
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Blassl
authors: Carola
authors: C
authors: Melcher
authors: Diethelm
authors: D
authors: Wallwiener
authors: Tanja
authors: T
authors: Fehm
authors: Andreas Daniel
authors: AD
authors: Hartkopf
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*