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Table 1 Patient characteristics and prevalence of circulating tumor cells at baseline ( n  = 147)

From: Circulating tumor cells in newly diagnosed inflammatory breast cancer

 

Stage III IBC

Metastatic IBC

Characteristic

N

%

≥1 CTC a

%

≥ 5 CTC a

%

N

%

≥ 1 CTC a

%

≥ 5 CTC a

%

All patients

77

100.0

42

54.5

15

19.5

70

100.0

59

84.3

32

45.7

Histology

            

Infiltrative ductal carcinoma

74

96.1

40

54.1

15

20.3

66

94.3

55

83.3

31

47.0

Other histology

3

3.9

2

66.7

0

0.00

4

5.7

4

100.0

1

25.0

P value

   

1.00

 

0.61

   

0.61

 

0.62

ER/PR status

            

Positive for either

43

55.8

19

44.2

5

11.6

40

57.1

33

82.5

20

50.0

Negative for both

34

44.2

23

67.6

10

29.4

30

42.9

26

86.7

12

40.0

P value

   

0.06

 

0.08

   

0.74

 

0.47

HER-2/neu status

            

Overexpressed

26

33.8

17

65.4

7

26.9

19

27.1

13

68.4

9

47.4

Negative

51

66.2

25

49.0

8

15.7

51

72.9

46

90.2

23

45.1

P value

   

0.23

 

0.36

   

0.04

 

1.00

Grade

            

High grade

55

71.4

32

58.2

11

20.0

53

75.7

43

81.1

24

45.3

Intermediate/low grade

22

28.6

10

45.5

4

18.2

15

21.4

14

93.3

8

53.3

Unknown

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

2.9

2

-

0

-

P value

   

0.31

 

1.00

   

0.43

 

0.77

ER/PR and HER2/neu status

            

Triple receptor negative

19

24.7

12

63.2

5

26.3

19

27.1

17

89.5

7

36.8

Not-triple receptor negative

58

75.3

30

51.7

10

17.2

51

72.9

42

82.4

25

49.0

P value

   

0.44

 

0.50

   

0.71

 

0.43

Sites of metastases

            

Non-visceral

-

-

-

-

-

-

42

60.0

34

81.0

18

42.9

Visceral

-

-

-

-

-

-

28

40.0

25

89.3

14

50.0

P value

         

0.50

 

0.63

Bone metastasis

            

Present

-

-

-

-

-

-

39

55.7

32

82.1

19

48.7

Absent

-

-

-

-

-

-

31

44.3

27

87.1

13

41.9

P value

         

0.70

 

0.63

Number of metastases

            

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

29

41.4

22

75.9

13

44.8

≥2

-

-

-

-

-

-

41

58.6

37

90.2

19

46.3

P value

         

0.20

 

1.00

Statin use

            

No-statins

62

80.5

39

62.9

14

22.6

60

85.7

51

85.0

30

50.0

L-statinsb

7

9.1

1

14.3

1

14.3

5

7.1

5

100.0

1

20.0

H-statinsb

8

10.4

2

25.0

0

0.0

5

7.1

3

60.0

1

20.0

P value

   

0.01

 

0.30

   

0.20

 

0.21

Menopausal status

            

Premenopausal

27

35.1

19

70.4

9

33.3

25

35.7

21

84.0

13

52.0

Postmenopausal

50

64.9

23

46.0

6

12.0

45

64.3

38

84.4

19

42.2

P value

   

0.06

 

0.03

   

1.00

 

0.46

Lymphovascular tumor emboli

            

Present

36

46.8

20

55.6

9

25.0

42

60.0

37

88.1

17

40.5

Absent

40

51.9

21

52.5

6

15.0

24

34.3

18

75.0

12

50.0

Unknown

1

1.3

1

-

0

-

4

5.7

4

-

3

-

P value

   

0.64

 

0.39

   

0.19

 

0.61

  1. ER, estrogen receptor; PR, progesterone receptor.
  2. aPer 7.5 ml of whole peripheral blood.
  3. bLipophilic statins were classified as L-statins, and weakly lipophilic to hydrophilic statins were classified as H-statins.