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Correlation of HER2 status between primary tumors and corresponding circulating tumor cells in advanced breast cancer patients

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Abstract

Biocharacterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients may represent a real-time tumor biopsy. We assessed HER2 status on CTCs from blood samples of ABC patients. CTCs were separated and stained using the CellSearch System®. HER2 status was assessed by immunofluorescence and, when technically feasible, by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Blood samples were obtained from 66 ABC patients. Forty patients had a positive CTC sample (61%) and of these, 15 (37%) had HER2 + CTCs. We found non-concordant results in 32% of cases: 29% (8/28) of HER2-negative primary tumors had HER2-positive CTCs and 42% (5/12) of HER2-positive primary tumors had HER2-negative CTCs (k = 0.278). Our study suggests that a subset of patients with HER2-negative primary tumors develops HER2-positive CTCs during disease progression.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Ms. Elizabeth Ann Florea for the linguistic revision of the present manuscript, the Associazione Italiana Ricerca Cancro (AIRC)—Milan Italy, the Associazione “Sandro Pitigliani”—Prato Italy, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, New York, USA, for the financial support provided to the institutional research program on CTCs in breast cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Research Unit c/o Department of Oncology, Hospital of Prato, Istituto Toscano Tumori, Piazza dell’Ospedale 2, 59100, Prato, Italy

    Marta Pestrin, Silvia Bessi, Francesca Galardi, Mara Truglia, Chiara Biagioni, Silvia Cappadona, Laura Biganzoli, Augusto Giannini & Angelo Di Leo

  2. Department of Statistics “G. Parenti”, University of Florence and Biostatistics Unit ISPO (Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research), Viale Morgagni 59, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Annibale Biggeri

  3. “Sandro Pitigliani” Medical Oncology Unit, Hospital of Prato, Istituto Toscano Tumori, Piazza dell’Ospedale 2, 59100, Prato, Italy

    Angelo Di Leo

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  1. Marta Pestrin
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  2. Silvia Bessi
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  3. Francesca Galardi
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  4. Mara Truglia
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  5. Annibale Biggeri
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  8. Laura Biganzoli
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  9. Augusto Giannini
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  10. Angelo Di Leo
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Correspondence to Angelo Di Leo.

Additional information

Marta Pestrin and Silvia Bessi have equally contributed to this work.

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Pestrin, M., Bessi, S., Galardi, F. et al. Correlation of HER2 status between primary tumors and corresponding circulating tumor cells in advanced breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 118, 523–530 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0461-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0461-7

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