Objective
To summary the advance of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer.
Methods
Through reviewing the related studies, a series of clinical studies on advance of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer were reviewed.
Results
For early breast cancer patients, the detection of circulating tumor cells could find patients at high risk of recurrence and metastasis. For metastatic breast cancer patients, it could assess the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy and predict the prognosis. To explore the molecular characteristics of circulating tumor cells could help to understand tumor transfer mechanism and seek new therapeutic targets.
Conclusion
Circulating tumor cells play an important role in the treatment of breast cancer, but many multi-center prospective studies are needed to ensure whether circulating tumor cells can be used in clinical practice.
