The detection of CK19 in bone marrow and the clinical significance in axillary lymph nodes negative breast cancer patients

Objective:To determine micrometastasis in bone marrow of axillary lymph nodes negative breast cancer patients(ALNNBC)with a specific breast cancer marker and discuss the relations between micrometastasis and some clinical and pathological factors.Methods:Bone marrow samples were obtained from 86 patients with ALNNBC.The sensitivity was assessed by detecting MCF-7 cells in healthy bone marrow at different concentrations.Results:The assay exhibited a calculated analytical limit of one tumor cell per 107 mononuclear cells.Of the 86 patients,26 cases(30.23%)presented CK19 mRNA positive.It was also found that the micrometastasis rate was associated with tumer size.While it did not correlate with age,histological type,ER/PR status,Her-2 and p53.Conclusion:CK19 is at present one of the most sensitive and specific marker for detecting micrometastasis in bone marrow of breast cancer,micrometastasis of ALNNBC has a close relationship with tumor size and may be a predictor of prognosis.