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Disseminated breast tumour cells: biological and clinical meaning

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology volume 15, pages 129–131 (2018)Cite this article

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We posit that disseminating tumour cells detected in the bone marrow or in the circulation are either cancer stem cells with full metastatic potential, tumour-bulk cells, or dormant cancer cells. This model has both therapeutic and diagnostic implications, raising concern over inadequate treatment as well as the possibility of overtreatment resulting from overdiagnosis.

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Figure 1: Three models of metastatic potential of disseminated tumour cells (DTCs).

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Acknowledgements

K.P. receives funding from CANCER-ID, an Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement 115749, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies' in-kind contribution, and from the European Research Council (Advanced Investigator grant 269081 DISSECT). D.F.H. receives funding from the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation of New York/QVC Presents Shoes on Sale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tumour Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg–Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany

    Klaus Pantel

  2. Breast Oncology Program, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1500 East Medical Center, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, USA

    Daniel F. Hayes

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  1. Klaus Pantel
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Correspondence to Klaus Pantel.

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Competing interests

K.P. has received research funding from Janssen Diagnostics. D.F.H. receives research funding from Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Merrimack, Pfizer, and Puma; honoraria from Janssen Diagnostics; is the named inventor on a patent held by the University of Michigan on the CTC-Endocrine Therapy Index; receives annual royalties from the commercial manufacturer of CellSearch® (previously Janssen, now Menarini Silicon Biosystems); is an adviser and board member of Pfizer; and has stock options in InBiomotion and OncImmune.

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Pantel, K., Hayes, D. Disseminated breast tumour cells: biological and clinical meaning. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 15, 129–131 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.174

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