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Results for “Neoplastic Cells, Circulating”

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PubMed2001

Persistent E-cadherin expression in inflammatory breast cancer.

E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates epithelial cell-to-cell adhesion. Because loss of E-cadherin expression results in disruption of cellular clusters, it has been postulated that E-cadherin functions as a tumor suppressor protein. The role of E-cadherin in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a distinct and highly aggressive form of breast cancer, is largely unknown. The aim of our study was to elucidate whether E-cadherin expression contributes to the development and progression of the IBC phenotype and to investigate any differences in E-cadherin expression between IBC and stage-matched non-IBC. Forty-two breast cancer cases (20 IBC and 22 non-IBC) were identified. Strict and well-accepted criteria were used for the diagnosis of IBC. Clinical and pathologic features were studied, and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections were immunostained for E-cadherin, estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR, respectively), and HER2/neu. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test. All IBC uniformly expressed E-cadherin, whereas 15 of the 22 (68%) of the non-IBC expressed the protein (P = .006). Intralymphatic tumor emboli in the IBC cases were also all E-cadherin positive. Two IBC tumors demonstrated invasive lobular histology, and both cases were positive for E-cadherin. Of the non-IBC cases, three were invasive lobular carcinomas, and all were positive for E-cadherin. No association was found between E-cadherin expression and ER, PR status, or HER2/neu overexpression. Our study demonstrates that there is a strong association between E-cadherin expression and IBC and suggests that E-cadherin may be involved in the pathogenesis of this form of advanced breast cancer. In our study, we demonstrate that circulating IBC tumor cells strongly express E-cadherin, thereby providing an important exception to the positive association between E-cadherin loss and poor prognosis in breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2003

Detection of circulating melanoma cells by a two-marker polymerase chain reaction assay in relation to therapy.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most rapidly increasing cancer types, and patients with metastatic disease have a very poor prognosis. Detection of metastatic melanoma cells in circulation may aid the clinician in assessing tumor progression, metastatic potential, and response to therapy. Tyrosinase is a key enzyme in melanin biosynthesis. The gene is actively expressed in melanocytes and melanoma cells. Melan A is a differentiation antigen that is expressed in melanocytes. The presence of these molecules in blood is considered a marker for circulating melanoma cells. In this study, we analyzed the usefulness of this marker combination in evaluating the response to therapy in the blood of 30 patients with malignant melanoma. Circulating cells were detected by a reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain reaction. The tyrosinase expression was observed in 9 (30%) patients and Melan A in 19 (63.3%) patients before therapy. Following treatment, the tyrosinase mRNA was detected in only one patient, while Melan A transcripts were still present in 14 patients. We suggest that this molecular assay can identify circulating melanoma cells that express melanoma-associated antigens and may provide an early indication of therapy effectiveness.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

PubMed2007

Combination of multiple mRNA markers (PTTG1, Survivin, UbcH10 and TK1) in the diagnosis of Taiwanese patients with breast cancer by membrane array.

OBJECTIVE: Early detection is a prerequisite to the effective reduction of morbidity and mortality from breast cancer. The present study intended to employ a high-throughput membrane array to detect a panel of mRNA markers expressed by circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of female patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Peripheral blood was sampled from 92 breast cancer patients and 100 normal persons. CTCs were detected by using a membrane array technique. The markers used included the pituitary tumor transforming gene 1, survivin, UbcH10 and thymidine kinase 1. RESULTS: The results showed that the membrane array could positively detect 5 cancer cells per 1 ml of peripheral blood in breast cancer cell dilution experiments. For the panel of 4 mRNA markers, sensitivity and specificity were elevated up to 86 and 88%, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that the patients' clinicopathological characteristics tumor size (p = 0.006), histologic grade (p = 0.012), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001) and TNM stage (p = 0.006) significantly correlated with the positive detection rate of the multimarker panel. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that our multimarker membrane array method could detect CTCs in the circulation of breast cancer patients with considerably high sensitivity and specificity.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

PubMed1997

Lack of specificity of albumin-mRNA-positive cells as a marker of circulating hepatoma cells.

The aim of the study was to assess the specificity of albumin-messenger RNA (mRNA)-positive cells in peripheral blood as an indicator for circulating malignant hepatocytes. Albumin-mRNA-positive cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PMNC) fraction were detected by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Albumin-mRNA-positive cells in PMNC were found in 12 of 19 (63%) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, but also in 22 of 25 (88%) patients with chronic hepatitis without evidence for hepatoma, and in 18 of 19 (94%) of patients with acute viral hepatitis. In addition, 8 of 28 (28%) of healthy control individuals had also albumin-mRNA-positive cells in peripheral blood. PMNC known to be spontaneously negative for albumin-mRNA could be induced in vitro to transcribe albumin-mRNA after activation with a variety of substances such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) plus concanavalin A (Con A), IL-2, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, platelet derived growth factor, alpha-fibroblast growth factor, or hepatocyte growth factor. These results show that the majority of patients with acute and chronic liver disease without evidence for hepatocellular carcinoma has albumin-mRNA-positive cells in their PMNC fraction indicating the nonspecificity of that parameter for the presence of circulating malignant hepatocytes. In addition, in vitro experiments suggest that PMNC are capable of transcribing mRNA for albumin at a low level after activation. In vivo-activated PMNC are likely to be the source of positivity in healthy controls, patients with nonmalignant acute and chronic liver disease, and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

[Surgical treatment of renal carcinoma with tumor thrombus extending into the right heart atrium].

Tumours thrombosis affecting the kidney or vena cava inferior in renal carcinoma is encountered in 4%-19% of the operated patients. Thrombosis reaching as far as the right atrium is rare. It is a very serious complication for the surgeon, but its does not imply a poorer prognosis of the disease nor shorter survival than tumours thrombosis of the inferior vena cava. Five-year survival is reported in 35-60% of the patients. Therefore radical surgery is fully indicated provided team collaboration of the urologist and cardiosurgeon is ensured. It involves removal of the tumours kidney with the tumours thrombus in an open heart and inferior vena cava, using extracorporeal circulation and arrested circulation with hypothermia. The authors present a successfully performed operation performed in a 63-year-old male [correction of female] patient.

Carcinoma↗

PubMed1997

Tumour cell u-PA as a cause of fibrinolytic bleeding in metastatic disease.

Tumour cells may express urokinase type plasminogen activator (u-PA). This may influence the invasive properties of the cells but has seldom been implicated in production of a systemic bleeding state. Two patients are described in whom severe bleeding occurred in association with disseminated malignancies. Thrombin generation was little disturbed and platelet numbers were insufficient to account for the bleeding. Florid plasmin generation was evident in the circulation and the fibrinolytic inhibitor tranexamic acid controlled the bleeding well. Free active u-PA was demonstrated in the circulation and u-PA antigen on the malignant cells which invaded the marrow of one of the patients. Tumour cell u-PA may occasionally be responsible for a bleeding state.

Blood Coagulation Disorders↗

PubMed2005

Quantification of the response of circulating epithelial cells to neodadjuvant treatment for breast cancer: a new tool for therapy monitoring.

INTRODUCTION: In adjuvant treatment for breast cancer there is no tool available with which to measure the efficacy of the therapy. In contrast, in neoadjuvant therapy reduction in tumour size is used as an indicator of the sensitivity of tumour cells to the agents applied. If circulating epithelial (tumour) cells can be shown to react to therapy in the same way as the primary tumour, then this response may be exploited to monitor the effect of therapy in the adjuvant setting. METHOD: We used MAINTRAC analysis to monitor the reduction in circulating epithelial cells during the first three to four cycles of neoadjuvant therapy in 30 breast cancer patients. RESULTS: MAINTRAC analysis revealed a patient-specific response. Comparison of this response with the decline in size of the primary tumour showed that the reduction in number of circulating epithelial cells accurately predicted final tumour reduction at surgery if the entire neoadjuvant regimen consisted of chemotherapy. However, the response of the circulating tumour cells was unable to predict the response to additional antibody therapy. CONCLUSION: The response of circulating epithelial cells faithfully reflects the response of the whole tumour to adjuvant therapy, indicating that these cells may be considered part of the tumour and can be used for therapy monitoring.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMed1981

Role of platelets in tumor cell metastases.

Platelets may have a role in the development of animal tumor metastases. Ultrastructural studies in vivo have shown arrested tumor emboli surrounded by platelets. Several tumor cell lines induce thrombocytopenia in vivo. Certain tumor cells aggregate platelets in vitro. Correlations exist between the ability of some tumor cells to aggregate platelets in vitro and their metastatic potential in vivo. Antiplatelet agents have impaired or altered the spread of certain tumor metastases. It is suggested that platelets have a role in the sequestration, adherence, and penetration of tumor cells through the blood vessel endothelial cell barrier, thus preventing their rapid clearance from the circulation and allowing extravascular formation of nests of cells. Antiplatelet agents, particularly prostaglandins, may prove useful in preventing experimental animal metastases when administered before the inoculation of tumor cells. Their potential in human malignancy, where the patient presents with an established tumor, remains to be established.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Relationship between sentinel lymph node status and regression of primary malignant melanoma.

The prognostic significance of spontaneous regression of primary melanoma is a controversial issue. Studies on sentinel lymph node status and circulating tumour cells may represent a step towards a better understanding. The clinical details of 269 melanoma patients who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy were analysed. Correlation was sought between the parameters of the primary tumour, particularly tumours showing a partial intermediate level of regression, and sentinel lymph node status. The presence of circulating tumour cells was studied by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for tyrosinase messenger RNA preoperatively in 94 patients. Of the examined tumours, 27.8% showed histological features of a partial intermediate level of regression. Regressive tumours were localized predominantly on the trunk (P=0.006), were significantly thinner (P<0.0000) and were less frequently ulcerated (P=0.003) than tumours without regression. Moreover, the majority of regressive melanomas were of the superficial spreading type (P<0.0000) and their sentinel node status was more favourable (P=0.026). We demonstrated the presence of circulating tumour cells in five of 26 (19.2%) regressive and 19 of 68 (29.4%) non-regressive tumours. The difference was not significant (P=0.32). By multivariate analysis, however, the Breslow thickness and ulceration of the primary tumour were predictors of the sentinel lymph node status, in agreement with literature data. A partial intermediate level of regression of the primary tumour did not affect unfavourably the sentinel lymph node status in our study. We failed to demonstrate a significant relationship between the presence of circulating tumour cells and either primary tumour regression or the sentinel lymph node status.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Surgery and hematogenous dissemination: comparison between the detection of circulating tumor cells and of tumor DNA in plasma before and after tumor resection in rats.

BACKGROUND: To examine the effects of the surgical manipulation of tumors on the hematogenous dissemination of tumors, we compared rates of detection of tumor-derived DNA in the buffy coat and in plasma from tumor-bearing rats before and after tumor resection. METHODS: We injected DHD/K12-PROb cells subcutaneously into BD-IX rats. Three weeks later, we removed the tumors surgically. Group PERI was sacrificed 3 hours after surgery, group POST-2 was sacrificed 2 weeks later, group POST-4 was sacrificed another 2 weeks later, and group POST-LONG was sacrificed when rats were close to death. In group PERI, four perioperative blood samples were taken. In the other groups, only one blood sample was taken per rat, immediately before euthanasia. We used polymerase chain reaction to detect tumor-derived DNA in buffy-coat, plasma, and lung samples. RESULTS: In group PERI, tumor DNA in plasma was more frequent than circulating tumor cells at all perioperative time points. The difference was statistically significant 3 hours after surgery (P = .035). In group POST-2, there was no detectable metastasis or tumor DNA in blood samples. There were lymphatic and lung metastases in most animals in group POST-4 and in all animals in group POST-LONG. In the last two groups, the frequencies of tumor DNA in the buffy coat and in plasma were similar. CONCLUSIONS: In our animal model, the hematogenous dissemination of tumors due to surgery seemed to be more closely related to tumor-derived cell-free DNA than to circulating tumor cells. In addition, the surgical resection of primary tumors did not inhibit the development of metastases.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Clinical significance of the molecular detection of melanoma cells circulating in the peripheral blood in melanoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Blood circulating melanoma cells may be important for the spread of the disease. The current methods are not sensitive in detecting micro metastases. Tyrosinase mRNA can be detected in peripheral blood by a molecular test. As tyrosinase is expressed only in melanocytes and melanocytes normally do not circulate in the blood, the test may prove reliable in detecting circulating melanoma cells. METHODS EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: we used a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detecting tyrosinase mRNA in the blood. A prospective investigation in melanoma patients undergoing surgery was conducted; follow-up duration was 12 months. SETTING: University Department Laboratory and Melanoma Clinic of a Tertiary Hospital. PATIENTS: a total of 27 Greek patients with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma at different stages of the disease; 12 months follow-up after surgery. Samples form 12 healthy volunteers and 13 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia served as controls. INTERVENTIONS: none. MEASURES: none. RESULTS: We detected mRNA tyrosinase in the peripheral blood in 16 out of 27 melanoma patients studied. No tyrosinase mRNA was detected in any of the 25 samples from the controls. Two of the 16 positive cases developed a metastasis within the next 12 months following testing. The other 14 positive cases remain metastasis free for this period, as also did the test negative cases. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of blood circulating melanoma cells by a RT-PCR technique, may be helpful in defining melanoma patients who are at risk for the spread of the disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of circulating prostate cells during radical prostatectomy by standardized PSMA RT-PCR: association with positive lymph nodes and high malignant grade.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to establish a quantitative standardized RT-PCR for the detection of Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)-expressing circulating cells and to evaluate clinical relevance in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa). MATERIALS AND METHODS: An external standard molecule (PSMA MIMIC) was constructed for standardization of PSMA RT-PCR reactions. It has the same sequence as endogenous PSMA, except for a central 85 bp deletion, allowing the amplification of both targets simultaneously with nearly the same amplification characteristics as in a nested PCR. PSMA RT-PCR was performed from peripheral blood samples of 73 patients with clinically localized PCa, 4 with metastatic PCa, 27 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 27 controls. Pre, intra- and postoperative blood samples were tested for circulating PSMA expressing cells in 54 out of 73 patients with clinically localized PCa. We also tested intraoperative blood samples of 19 BPH patients treated by transurethral or open surgery. RESULTS: Endogenous PSMA signals from PCa patients varied between 850 and 9900 transcript molecules, corresponding to 2-20 PSMA-expressing cells/ml blood. Standardized RT-PCR using the PSMA MIMIC molecule revealed a significant decrease of "false-positives" in cancer-free controls (p = 0.004). Controls could clearly be distinguished from prostate cancer patients based on PSMA PCR positivity (p = 0.003). Thirty-two % of patients with localized prostate cancer, 11% of BPH patients and 7% of healthy controls were positive in standardized assays compared to 48%, 30% and 27% without PSMA MIMIC, respectively. Preoperatively, a correlation with tumor stage (p = 0.030), grade (p = 0.035) and Gleason Score (p = 0.03) could be demonstrated in clinically localized PCa patients. Dissemination of prostate cells during surgery occurred in 32% of the RRPs and 21% of BPH patients. Positive PCR signals from intraoperative blood samples correlated with positive lymph node status (p = 0.007) and tumor grade (p = 0.005). Postoperative positive results correlated with grade (p = 0.012) and Gleason Score (p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: Counseling the patient with clinically localized prostate cancer can be challenging. Surgery may be, in retrospect, inappropriate in a number of patients due to preoperative understaging. This newly constructed external standard allows quantitative detection of circulating prostate cells, and therefore may open new perspectives for PSMA RT-PCR techniques as diagnostic assays and tools for post-therapeutic follow-up.

Antigens, Surface↗

PubMed2001

Quantification of alpha 1-fetoprotein mRNA in peripheral blood and bone marrow: a tool for perioperative evaluation of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Quantification of alpha 1-fetoprotein (AFP) mRNA in the blood using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) could be a useful tool in monitoring the dynamics of minimal residual disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since all available assays do not take into account the efficiency of cell separation, RNA extraction and reverse transcription, a competitive RT-PCR assay for quantification of AFP mRNA in relation to the housekeeping gene glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood of 22 patients and bone marrow aspirates of 11 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was monitored perioperatively. Eighteen patients with other hepatic tumours or non-malignant hepatic diseases and 26 healthy blood donors served as controls. Messenger RNA contents were calculated relative to the content of GAPDH mRNA as an indicator of total cell count. RESULTS: Among HCC patients, 6 of 22 (26%) were positive for AFP mRNA before operation with values ranging from 2 ag/100 fg to 36 ag/100 fg GAPDH mRNA (mean 14). Among bone marrow samples, AFP mRNA was detectable in 5 of 11 (45%) cases, with 4 ag/100 fg to 23 ag/100 fg GAPDH (mean 9). However, AFP mRNA was also detectable in 3 of 18 (17%) control patients and in 2 of 26 (8%) healthy blood donors. Perioperative findings were highly variable. CONCLUSION: AFP mRNA is not a specific marker for circulating malignant hepatocytes. Whether definition of a cut-off level or the use of a multimarker-PCR will provide more useful data remains to be established.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Detecting circulating cancer cells using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for cytokeratin mRNA in peripheral blood from patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cytokeratins (CKs) 19 and 20 have been used as targets for detecting cancer cells. We attempted to detect circulating cancer cells in patients with gastric cancer using a high-sensitivity reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for CK transcripts. METHODS: RT-PCR for CK 19 and CK 20 was performed on peripheral blood samples obtained from 52 patients with gastric cancer, from 24 of whom blood samples were collected on three occasions. Fourteen healthy volunteers served as controls. RESULTS: CK 19 and CK 20 were positive in five (9.6%) of 52 patients with gastric cancer. Of these five, four were classified into stage IV and the other stage I, according to the TNM Classification. In gastric cancer patients, three (12.5%) were positive in the 24 cases examined three times and two (7.1%) were positive in 28 cases examined only once. Among the stage IV cancer, positive cases for CK showed significantly lower survival rates than those negative for CK. Between CK 19 and CK 20 in the 24 cases examined three times, CK 19 was found to be more sensitive in detecting cancer cells. CK 20 was detected in one (7.0%) of 14 healthy volunteers, whereas CK 19 was not detected. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that repeated blood sampling may be desirable to detect circulating cancer cells in peripheral blood, even in patients with advanced gastric cancer; CK 19 may be superior to CK 20 in detecting these cells. The clinical significance of detecting occult cancer in peripheral blood remains to be determined.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

PubMed2000

Detection of carcinoma cells in the blood of breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancers shed cancer cells into the blood soon after they become invasive. We developed an assay for removing these circulating cancer cells. In this study, we wanted to determine the percentage of early stage and metastatic patients with circulating breast cancer cells. METHODS: Twenty milliliters of blood were drawn from patients with breast cancer. Epithelial cells were removed by immunomagnetic selection and analyzed by flow cytometry, cytomorphology, and immunocystochemistry. RESULTS: Early stage patients averaged 16 epithelial cells per 20 cc blood whereas metastatic patients averaged 122 tumor cells. Cytomorphology and immunostains confirmed that these were cancer cells. Control blood samples had 1.7 squamous epithelial cells per 20 cc blood. CONCLUSION: This assay can identify and characterize circulating breast cancer cells. Metastatic patients had more circulating cells than early stage patients. This assay could screen high-risk patients, determine the need for and monitor response to adjuvant therapy, and detect early recurrence of breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2006

Real-time RT-PCR detection of disseminated tumour cells in bone marrow has superior prognostic significance in comparison with circulating tumour cells in patients with breast cancer.

This study assessed the ability of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis to detect disseminated epithelial cells (DEC) in peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) of patients with breast cancer (BC). Detection of DEC in BM is an obvious choice in BC, but blood sampling is more convenient. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the detection of DEC in either PB or BM predicts overall survival (OS). Peripheral blood and BM samples were collected from 148 patients with primary (stage M0, n=116/78%) and metastatic (stage M+, n=32/21%) BC before the initiation of any local or systemic treatment. Peripheral blood of healthy volunteers and BM of patients with a nonmalignant breast lesion or a haematological malignancy served as the control group. Disseminated epithelial cells was detected by measuring relative gene expression (RGE) for cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) and mammaglobin (MAM), using a quantitative RT-PCR detection method. The mean follow-up time was 786 days (+/- 487). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for predicting OS. By taking the 95 percentile of the RGE of CK-19 (BM: 26.3 and PB: 58.7) of the control group as cutoff, elevated CK-19 expression was detected in 42 (28%) BM samples and in 22 (15%) PB samples. Mammaglobin expression was elevated in 20% (both PB and BM) of the patients with BC. There was a 68% (CK-19) and 75% (MAM) concordance between PB and BM samples when classifying the results as either positive or negative. Patients with an elevated CK-19 or MAM expression in the BM had a worse prognosis than patients without elevated expression levels (OS: log-rank test, P=0.0045 (CK-19) and P=0.025 (MAM)). For PB survival analysis, no statistical significant difference was observed between patients with or without elevated CK-19 or MAM expression (OS: log-rank test, P=0.551 (CK-19) and P=0.329 (MAM)). Separate analyses of the M0 and M+ patients revealed a marked difference in OS according to the BM CK-19 or MAM status in the M+ patient group, but in the M0 group, only MAM expression was a prognostic marker for OS. Disseminated epithelial cells, measured as elevated CK-19 or MAM mRNA expression, could be detected in both PB and BM of patients with BC. Only the presence of DEC in BM was highly predictive for OS. The occurrence of DEC in the BM is probably less time-dependent and may act as a filter for circulating BC cells. The use of either larger volumes of PB or performing an enrichment step for circulating tumour in blood cells might improve these results.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

New markers for cancer detection.

Circulating tumor nucleic acids in blood have been demonstrated to reflect the biologic characteristics of tumors. During tumor progression, aberrant DNA methylation can lead to transcriptional silencing of tumor suppressor genes, DNA repair genes, and metastasis-inhibitor genes. Hypermethylation of multiple genes, detectable in the blood of cancer patients, has demonstrated increasing promise as a specific and sensitive molecular marker for detecting and monitoring cancer. In addition to these epigenetic markers, a number of mRNA markers may also enable cancer detection in the blood of patients with different cancer types. Quantification of circulating tumor cell mRNAs in cancer patients appears to be useful for monitoring cancer progression and response to treatment. DNA methylation markers and mRNA markers in the blood may open up diagnostic and prognostic possibilities.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Circulating cancer cells in peripheral blood. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Carcinocythemia, the presence of circulating cancer cells in peripheral blood, is a rare complication of solid neoplasms. When the number of such cells is very high, they can be detected during routine laboratory tests. They are associated with a dismal prognosis. CASE REPORT: Carcinocythemia occurred in a patient with disseminated breast cancer. Eighteen cases were identified from a review of the literature. The most common neoplasms associated with circulating cancer cells in peripheral blood were breast adenocarcinoma, small cell lung carcinoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. All the patients had stage IV disease at the time of diagnosis, and all had involvement of the reticuloendothelial system. Patients survived for an average of a few days or weeks. CONCLUSION: Circulating cancer cells in peripheral blood are an unusual manifestation of disseminated neoplasms that occurs as a terminal event.

Adenocarcinoma↗