title: Evaluation of two different analytical methods for circulating tumor cell detection in peripheral blood of patients with primary breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence is accumulating that circulating tumor cells (CTC) out of peripheral blood can serve as prognostic marker not only in metastatic but also in early breast cancer (BC). Various methods are available to detect CTC. Comparisons between the different techniques, however, are rare.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluate two different methods for CTC enrichment and detection in primary BC patients: the FDA-approved CellSearch System (CSS; Veridex, Warren, USA) and a manual immunocytochemistry (MICC). The cut-off value for positivity was ≥1 CTC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two different nonoverlapping patient cohorts evaluated with one or the other method were well balanced regarding common clinical parameters. Before adjuvant CHT 21.1% (416 out of 1972) and 20.6% (247 out of 1198) of the patients were CTC-positive, while after CHT 22.5% (359 out of 1598) and 16.6% (177 out of 1066) of the patients were CTC-positive using CSS or MICC, respectively. CTC positivity rate before CHT was thus similar and not significantly different (P = 0.749), while CTC positivity rate immediately after CHT was significantly lower using MICC compared to CSS (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using CSS or MICC for CTC detection, we found comparable prevalence of CTC before but not after adjuvant CHT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: B A S
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80337 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jueckstock
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80337 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Andergassen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salmen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schochter
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80337 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alunni-Fabbroni
authors.affiliation: Luisen Hospital, 40235 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rezai
authors.affiliation: RoMed Hospital Rosenheim, 83022 Rosenheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Th
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beckmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80337 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Friese
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: T W P
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Friedl
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Janni
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80337 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods*; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D018189:Immunomagnetic Separation / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity