A high-risk 70-gene signature is not associated with the detection of tumor cell dissemination to the bone marrow

作者：Walter Vincent P; Taran Florin Andrei; Wallwiener Markus; Walter Christina; Grischke Eva Maria; Wallwiener Diethelm; Brucker Sara Y; Hartkopf Andreas D^*

来源：Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 2018, 169(2): 305-309.

DOI：10.1007/s10549-018-4679-0

• Breast cancer
• 70-gene signature
• MammaPrint
• Disseminated tumor cells
• Minimal residual disease
• Bone marrow

Purpose The 70-gene signature (70-GS) is a prognostic tool, grouping patients in risk groups to assess their need for adjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor cell dissemination to the bone marrow is a marker of minimal residual disease and associated with impaired survival. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether 70-GS is associated with the presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow of patients with early breast cancer.
Methods In patients with hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative early breast cancer, the 70-GS was obtained and the presence of DTCs was immunohistochemically evaluated using cytokeratin staining with the A45-B/B3 antibody.
Results 149 patients were included into the analysis. 40 (27%) had a high-risk 70-GS and 35 (23%) had detectable DTCs in their bone marrow. 9 (22%) of the 40 patients with high-risk 70-GS and 26 (24%) of the 109 patients with a low-risk 70-GS were positive for DTCs (p = 0.863).
Conclusions As both 70-GS and DTC detection are known prognostic factors but do not seem to correlate, a follow-up on a larger cohort is warranted to evaluate if a combination of the two is able to better stratify the relapse risk in early breast cancer patients.

• 出版日期2018-6