Circulating Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells Evade Detection Methods

Strategic Insights -

Circulating metastatic breast cancer cells can shed their epithelial receptors, a process that enables them to travel through the bloodstream undetected. Research presented at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggested that these cells, known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) cells, evade current detection methods and lose their traditional prognostic and therapeutic value. The cells become more resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, making them challenging to treat. Finding a reliable method to detect these stealth breast cancer cells may reveal additional therapeutic targets that could help eradicate micrometastatic disease in patients with breast cancer or other epithelial tumors.

Key Takeaways:

  • Circulating metastatic breast cancer cells can lose their epithelial receptors, enabling them to travel through the bloodstream undetected.
  • EMT cells evade current detection methods, such as CellSearch, and lose their traditional prognostic and therapeutic value.
  • EMT cells become more resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, making them challenging to treat.
  • Over-expression of EMT genes was found in 21% of the patients, with a higher prevalence in women with triple receptor-negative breast cancer.
  • The researchers identified 5 EMT genes: TWIST1, SNAIL1, SLUG, ZEB1, and FOXC2, which were over-expressed in patients with metastatic disease.
  • A novel detection method that can detect CTCs after EMT could add important new prognostic information and could be useful for monitoring treatment efficacy in real time.
  • The study's findings suggest that current CTC detection methods underestimate the most important subpopulation of CTCs involved in tumor dissemination-those with tumor-initiating properties.

Statistics:

  • 27 patients with a median age of 54 participated in the study, with 16 having metastatic disease, 19 having inflammatory breast cancer, and 12 having primary breast cancer.
  • 21% of the patients had over-expression of EMT genes.
  • The study's researchers found no correlation between EMT gene expression and CTC count as measured by CellSearch or Ep-CAM.
  • The researchers identified 5 EMT genes: TWIST1, SNAIL1, SLUG, ZEB1, and FOXC2, which were over-expressed in patients with metastatic disease.

Sources:

  • University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
  • CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
  • Cancer Weekly editors
  • NewsRx.com