Table 2 Kaplan-Meier progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival estimates stratified by CTC level and patient and tumor characteristics in patients with newly diagnosed stage III inflammatory breast cancer

Variable

All patients

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.66

0.31

1.39

0.29

0.57

0.25

1.31

0.21

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

0.69

0.26

1.78

0.39

0.72

0.26

2.00

0.48

ER/PR positive for either

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.59

0.23

1.53

0.28

0.59

0.18

1.94

0.40

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

0.33

0.06

1.70

0.04

0.33

0.05

2.18

0.08

ER/PR negative for both

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.76

0.22

2.69

0.69

1.14

0.55

2.39

0.70

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

1.14

0.31

4.14

0.85

1.05

0.28

3.91

0.94

HER-2/neu positive

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.64

0.15

2.77

0.58

0.37

0.07

1.97

0.34

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

1.25

0.27

5.71

0.79

0.97

0.18

5.33

0.97

HER-2/neu negative

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.62

0.26

1.49

0.29

0.51

0.19

1.37

0.18

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

0.42

0.11

1.59

0.08

0.51

0.13

2.05

0.23

Triple negative

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.40

0.11

1.51

0.24

0.31

0.08

1.14

0.11

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

0.56

0.11

2.71

0.39

0.60

0.13

2.82

0.45

High grade

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.65

0.28

1.47

0.31

0.42

0.17

1.06

0.09

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

0.56

0.19

1.69

0.22

0.44

0.13

1.46

0.09

Low/intermediate grade

<1 CTC versus ≥1 CTC

0.87

0.15

5.08

0.87

1.34

0.18

9.70

0.76

<5 CTC versus ≥5 CTC

1.44

0.20

10.50

0.74

0.19