Cytokeratin-19 mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells during follow-up of patients with operable breast cancer: prognostic relevance for late relapse

Table 1 Patients' characteristics at diagnosis according to CK-19 mRNA-positive cells during follow-up

Characteristics	All Patients		CK-19 mRNA-persistently negative		CK-19 mRNA-persistently positive
	N	%	N	%	N	%
Patients enrolled	312		80	25.6	99	31.7
Age							Mann-Whitney P = 0.197
median (range)	54 (26 to 77)		51.5 (26 to 75)		54 (28 to 75)
Menopausal status							P = 0.372
Pre-menopausal	145	46.5	41	51.3	44	44.4
Post-menopausal	167	53.5	39	48.8	55	55.6
Tumor size							T2/T3 vs T1
T1	116	37.2	30	37.5	33	33.3	P = 0.637
T2	174	55.8	43	53.8	59	59.6
T3	22	7.1	7	8.8	7	7.1
Lymph nodes							P = 0.082
N0	107	34.3	33	41.3	28	28.3
N1 to 3	119	38.1	29	36.3	35	35.4
N > 3	86	27.6	18	22.5	36	36.4
Histology grade							P = 0.746
1/2	159	51.0	39	48.8	56	56.6
3	119	38.1	28	35.0	36	36.4
lobular	34	10.9	13	16.3	7	7.1
HR							P = 0.156
ER(-)/PR(-)	70	22.4	24	30.0	22	22.2
Other	190	60.9	39	48.8	60	60.6
Unknown	52	16.7	17	21.3	17	17.2
HR and Her-2							P = 0.116
ER(-)/PR(-)/HER-2(-)	52	16.7	19	23.8	16	16.2
Other	255	65.1	41	51.3	66	66.7
Unknowm	57	18.3	20	25.0	17	17.2
Radiation therapy							P = 0.937
No	24	7.7	7	8.8	9	9.1
Yes	289	92.3	73	91.2	90	90.9
Hormonotherapy							P = 0.103
No	23	7.4	10	12.5	5	5.1
Yes	289	92.6	70	87.5	94	94.9
Type of hormonotherapy							P = 0.119
No hormonotherapy	23	7.4	10	12.5	5	5.1
AIs	33	10.6	10	12.5	11	11.1
T	50	16.0	10	12.5	19	19.2
AIs & T	57	18.3	9	11.3	22	22.2
LHRH	32	10.3	11	13.8	8	8.1
LHRH + T or AIs	117	37.5	30	37.5	34	34.3
Chemotherapy							P = 0.011
CMF	30	9.6	11	13.8	4	4.0
FEC	149	47.8	31	38.8	57	57.6
T/EC	133	42.6	38	47.5	38	38.4

AIs, aromatase inhibitors; CMF, cyclophosphamide-methotraxate-fluorouracil; FEC, fluorouracil-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide; HR, hormone receptor; LHRH, luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone; T, tamoxifen; T/EC, taxane/epirubicin-cyclophosphamide.

ISSN: 1465-542X