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Circulating cancer cells: Pre‐and post‐chemotherapy observations
Author(s) -
Song Joseph,
From Paul,
Morrissey William J.,
Sams Janet
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197109)28:3<553::aid-cncr2820280304>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - medicine , lymph , cancer , breast cancer , adenocarcinoma , colorectal cancer , cancer cell , chemotherapy , pathology , rectum , oncology
Multiple samples of blood were obtained from the antecubital vein of 45 women with breast cancer and 26 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colorectum for circulating cancer cells. Each specimen, consisting of 10 ml of heparinized blood, was poured onto a Nuclepore membrane filter, followed by an application of 100 ml of isotonic saline solution for clear filtration. The filters were stained by conventional Papanicolaou method and examined by light microscopy. Two of 27 women with breast cancer metastasized to lymph nodes yielded positive results. Thirteen of 8 patients with adenocarcinoma limited in the breast, however, showed a high incidence (72%) of circulating cancer cells. Twenty‐five of 27 women with positive axillary lymph nodes failed to yield cancer cells. One of 18 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colorectum involving the regional lymph nodes showed tumor cells, while 17 patients had negative blood cytology. On the other hand, 5 of 8 patients with adenocarcinoma limited to the colon and rectum had multiple groups of cancer cells. An intravenous injection of 5‐Fluorouracil (15 mg/kg of body weight per week) was continued for 2 months, followed by reexamination of multiple blood samples for circulating cancer cells. Post‐chemotherapy specimens yielded groups of cancer cells showing extreme degeneration. Most of the blood samples obtained from patients with mammary and colonic carcinomas which metastasized to regional lymph nodes did not generally reveal circulating cancer cells, while 72,% of the patients with cancer confined within the breast or colon yielded many circulating cancer cells. It was postulated that certain patients possessed some type of intrinsic host resistance which destroys the detached cancer cells. A few circulating cancer cells might have been neutralized or dissolved by antibodies allegedly secreted from nodes containing tumor. The immunologic defense mechanism allegedly present in some patients with cancer, which prevents the spread of tumor, will, however, have to be the subject of future intense and tedious investigation.