Skip Navigation



Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on January 22, 2008
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdm583
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
19/5/935    most recent
mdm583v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sastre, J.
Right arrow Articles by Díaz-Rubio, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sastre, J.
Right arrow Articles by Díaz-Rubio, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 2008 European Society for Medical Oncology. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Circulating tumor cells in colorectal cancer: correlation with clinical and pathological variables

J. Sastre1,*, M. L. Maestro2, J. Puente1, S. Veganzones2, R. Alfonso1, S. Rafael2, J. A. García-Saenz1, M. Vidaurreta2, M. Martín1, M. Arroyo2, M. T. Sanz-Casla2 and E. Díaz-Rubio1

1 Department of Medical Oncology
2 Department of Central Laboratory, Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

* Correspondence to: Dr J. Sastre, Servicio de Oncología Médica, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, 28040 Madrid, España, Spain. Tel: +34-91-3303546; Fax: +34-91-3303544; E-mail: jsastre.hcsc{at}salud.madrid.org

Background: The CellSearch System is a technique to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with cancer. Few data have been published concerning the role of CTCs detection by this method in colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to correlate the presence of CTCs with the commonest clinical and morphological variables.

Patients and methods: Blood samples were collected from 97 patients and 30 healthy volunteers. Quantification of CTCs in 7.5 ml of blood was carried out with the CellSearch System. The results were expressed as number of CTCs/7.5 ml and the cut-off of ≥2 CTCs/7.5 ml was chosen to define the test as positive.

Results: Positive CTCs were detected in 34 of 94 patients (36.2%). Correlation was not found among positive CTCs and location of primary tumor, increased carcinoembryonic antigen level, increased lactate dehydrogenase level or grade of differentiation. Only stage correlated with positive CTCs (20.7% in stage II, 24.1% in stage III and 60.7% in stage IV, P = 0.005).

Conclusions: CTCs detection by CellSearch is a highly reproducible method that correlates with stage but not with other clinical and morphological variables in patients with colorectal cancer. Colon cancer tumor cells are detectable in all stages. Further studies are warranted.

colorectal cancer, circulating tumor cells, clincal variables

Received for publication September 24, 2007. Revision received November 26, 2007. Accepted for publication November 30, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.