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Table 3 Baseline tumor features and treatments in patients with disease confined to a single organ a

From: Circulating tumor cells as early predictors of metastatic spread in breast cancer patients with limited metastatic dissemination

Variable

Overall,N(%)

CTCs <5/7.5 ml,n(%)

CTCs ≥5/7.5 ml,n(%)

P-value

Overall population

146 (100)

104 (71.2)

42 (28.8)

-

HR status

    

Positive

99 (67.8)

67 (64.4)

32 (76.2)

ns

Negative

47 (32.2)

37(35.6)

10 (23.8)

HER2 status

    

HER2 amplified/overexpressed

30 (20.6)

22 (21.2)

8 (19.1)

ns

HER2 normal

116 (79.4)

82 (78.8)

34 (80.9)

Treatment strategy

    

Systemic treatment only

129 (88.4)

91 (87.5)

38 (90.5)

ns

Additional locoregional treatment

17 (11.6)b

13 (12.5)

4 (9.5)

Type of systemic treatment

    

Chemotherapy

101 (69.2)

70 (67.3)

31 (73.8)

ns

Endocrine therapy

41 (28.1)

31 (29.8)

10 (23.8)

Other

4 (2.7)

3 (2.9)

1 (2.4)

Distribution of metastatic sites

    

Lymph nodes/soft tissues

50 (34.2)

41 (39.4)

9 (21.4)

0.023

Bone

68 (46.6)

41 (39.4)

27 (64.3)

Viscera

28 (19.2)

22 (21.2)

6 (14.3)

  1. aCTCs, Circulating tumor cells; HER2, Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; HR, Hormone receptor; ns, Statistically nonsignificant. bAdditional locoregional treatments: surgery in 12 patients (8.2%), radiation therapy in 4 patients (2.7%) and other for 1 patient (0.7%).