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Table 1 Patient and tumor characteristics in relation to breast cancer subtypea

From: Prognostic impact of circulating tumor cell apoptosis and clusters in serial blood samples from patients with metastatic breast cancer in a prospective observational cohort

Variables

All patients

N = 52

Hormone receptor positive

(ER+, PgR±, HER2-)

N = 39

HER2 positive

(HER2+, ER±, PgR±)

N = 7

Triple-negative

(ER-, PgR-, HER2-)

N = 4

P-value

Age at MBC diagnosis

     

 Median (range)

60 (40–83)

64 (40–83)

57 (45–76)

51 (42–57)

0.10

  < 50 years

12

9

1

2

0.45

  ≥ 50 years

40

30

6

2

 

Time to recurrence

     

 Median (range in years)

5.3 (0–27.6)

5.1 (0–27.6)

1.7 (0–5.3)

1.3 (1.2–2.3)

0.007

 Nr of patients with stage IV at diagnosis

9

5

4

0

0.44

NHG

     

 I

2

2

0

0

0.50

 II

23

18

2

2

 

 III

18

13

2

2

 

 Unknown

9

6

3

0

 

Ki67

     

 Low (≤20%)

5

5

0

0

0.071

 High (>20%)

16

8

4

4

 

 Unknown

31

26

3

0

 

First-line systemic therapy

     

 Endocrine only

11

11

0

0

b

 Chemotherapy only

35

28

1

4

 

 HER2-directed (with chemotherapy)

6

0

6

0

 

Metastatic site at BL

     

 Locoregional

3

1

0

2

0.30

 Skeletal only

19

15

3

1

 

 CNS

1

1

0

0

 

 Visceral (two with unknown subtype)

28

21

4

1

 

 Other locations

1

1

0

0

 

Number of metastatic locations

     

 1–2

32

24

4

3

0.74

 3 or more

20

15

3

1

 
  1. a Breast cancer subtype was derived from the primary tumor (n = 40) and, if no primary tumor tissue was available, from the metastasis (n = 10). Two patients had insufficient tissue for subtype assessment
  2. b No statistical analysis was performed for this clinically descriptive variable
  3. WBC-CTC, white blood cells associated with CTC; ER, estrogen receptor; PgR, progesterone receptor; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; BL, base-line; NHG, Nottingham histological grade; MBC, metastatic breast cancer; mo, months