Circulating tumor cells in breast cancer: clinical and molecular parallels

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of malignant neoplasm among women, with a high rate of metastasis. Early non-invasive diagnosis is required to increase the effectiveness of anticancer therapy.Objective: to determine the content of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and their derivatives in the peripheral blood using the MDA-231 aptamer, compare the results obtained with the clinical and molecular characteristics of BC.Materials and methods. The study included 22 patients with BC. Detection of CTCs and circulating tumor microemboli was carried out in 3.5 ml of the blood of BC patients with the help of the MDA-231 aptamer which is affine for breast cancer cells, labeled with the fluorescent Cy3 dye. The count of CTCs in the blood samples was performed using fluorescent and laser scanning microscopy.Results and conclusions. The content of CTCs and circulating tumor microemboli in the peripheral blood of patients with BC of various molecular subtypes was analyzed using the MDA-231 aptamer. The relationship between the number of CTCs and the molecular biological subtype was revealed. The obtained results show the possible prognostic value of CTCs use for monitoring effectiveness of anticancer therapy and control of recurrence of BC.