FC RECEPTOR-BEARING PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS IN BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS - A POSSIBLE MARKER OF TUMOR BURDEN AND PROGNOSIS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (3) , 629-637
Abstract
Indirect immunofluorescence was used to identify and quantitate peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells possessing high avidity Fe receptors in 105 patients upon referral to a breast cancer clinic. The cell detected was a non-adherent PBM, probably belonging to the T or null cell population. The mean percentage .+-. 2 SD of PBM-positive cells in 75 patients with no disease or benign breast disease was 5.3 .+-. 6.7, and this was significantly (P < 0.001) less than the percentage found for 31 patients with breast cancer. The percentage of PBM-positive cells correlated directly with tumor burden in patients with small (.ltoreq. 5 cm) tumors without regional node or extranodal metastases (5/13 had .gtoreq. 12% positive PBM) and in those with small tumors plus regional node metastases, but without extranodal metastases (8/10 had .gtoreq. 12% positive PBM). This correlation was less in patients with large tumors (> 5 cm), and in those with extranodal metastases (4/8 had .gtoreq. 12% positive PBM), and in patients tested postoperatively (1/13 had .gtoreq. 12% positive PBM) even though 6/13 had regional node metastases at the time of surgery. Thus, this relatively simple assay, which can be done on peripheral blood samples, may turn out to be useful in patients with breast cancer as a prognostic insofar as it may be an indirect indicator of tumor burden preoperatively. If so, it may lead to a more aggressive postoperative adjuvant therapy approach to the subpopulation of node-negative PBM-positive breast cancer patients than is currently used for node-negative patients.