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Table 1 Baseline patient and tumor characteristics stratified by CTC count and CTC clusters

From: Longitudinal enumeration and cluster evaluation of circulating tumor cells improve prognostication for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer in a prospective observational trial

 

All patients

Baseline CTC < 5

Baseline CTC ≥5

P value

Baseline clusters absent

Baseline clusters  ≥ 1

P value

(n = 156)

(n = 73)

(n = 79)

(n = 122)

(n = 30)

Age MBC, median (range)

65 (40–90)

65 (40–-84)

65 (41–90)

0.71a

67 (40–90)

60 (42–72)

0.002a

Baseline ECOG

 0

91

48 (53)

43 (47)

0.07b

76 (84)

15 (16)

0.32b

 1

37

17 (46)

20 (54)

29 (78)

8 (22)

 2

22

6 (30)

14 (70)

15 (75)

5 (25)

 Unknown

6

      

PT NHG

 I

13

9 (69)

4 (31)

0.58b

12 (92)

1 (8)

0.85b

 II

65

26 (41)

38 (59)

47 (73)

17 (27)

 III

46

22 (49)

23 (51)

38 (84)

7 (16)

 Unknown

32

     

PT tumor size

 T1

57

30 (55)

25 (45)

0.16b

49 (89)

6 (11)

0.07b

 T2

51

25 (49)

26 (51)

39 (76)

12 (24)

 T3

20

8 (40)

12 (60)

15 (75)

5 (25)

 T4

19

7 (39)

11 (61)

13 (72)

5 (28)

 Unknown

9

     

PT node status

 Negative

44

27 (61)

17 (39)

0.04c

39 (89)

5 (11)

0.10c

 Positive

92

38 (42)

52 (58)

69 (77)

21 (23)

 Unknown

20

      

Breast cancer subtyped

 ER+ HER2-

105

46 (44)

58 (56)

0.52c

86 (83)

18 (17)

0.34c

 HER2+

20

11 (58)

8 (42)

14 (74)

5 (26)

 ER- HER2-

26

12 (50)

12 (50)

17 (71)

7 (29)

 Unknown

5

      

Metastasis-free interval (years)

 0

31

14 (47)

16 (53)

0.57b

24 (80)

6 (20)

0.97b

  > 0-3

28

11 (41)

16 (59)

22 (81)

5 (19)

  > 3

97

48 (51)

47 (49)

76 (80)

19 (20)

Metastatic sites, number

  < 3

109

58 (54)

49 (46)

0.02c

88 (82)

19 (18)

0.34c

  ≥ 3

47

15 (33)

30 (67)

34 (76)

11 (24)

Site of metastasis

 Non-visceral

65

29 (45)

35 (55)

0.57c

47 (73)

17 (27)

0.07c

 Viscerale

91

44 (50)

44 (50)

75 (85)

13 (15)

1st line treatment for MBCf

 Endocrine

58

31 (53)

27 (47)

0.28c

56 (97)

2 (3)

< 0.001c

 Chemotherapy

71

29 (42)

40 (58)

48 (70)

21 (30)

 HER2-targeted

15

9 (60)

6 (40)

11 (73)

4 (27)

One or more clusters of ≥ 2 CTCs at baselineg

 No

122

73 (60)

49 (40)

< 0.001c

   

 Yes

30

0

30 (100)

   
  1. Abbreviations: CTC circulating tumor cell, MBC metastatic breast cancer, ECOG Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, NHG Nottingham histological grade, PT primary tumor, ER estrogen receptor, HER2 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
  2. aP value from Mann-Whitney test
  3. bP value from Pearson’s chi-squared test for trend
  4. cP value from Pearson’s chi-squared test
  5. dBreast cancer subtype was primarily derived from immunohistochemical staining of the metastasis (n = 114). If no information was available from the metastasis, the subtype was derived by staining of the primary tumor (n = 36)
  6. eVisceral metastasis defined as lung, liver, brain, peritoneal, and/or pleural involvement
  7. fA total of 12 patients died and/or treatment was ended before the first structured clinical follow up at 3 months post treatment initiation and consequently no data are available for these patients
  8. gFour patients had no baseline sample and thus had no data on CTCs and CTC clusters