The fate of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow of primary breast cancer patients after adjuvant systemic therapy

The presence of cytokeratin positive cells in the bone marrow of breast cancer patients has been proven to be an independent prognostic factor. Their fate in primary breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant therapy is of particular interest. We investigated the bone marrow status of 112 patients undergoing postoperative adjuvant treatment before and after therapy. 373 patients with histologically confirmed primary breast cancer underwent bone marrow aspiration at the time of primary surgery. All patients were informed of their bone marrow status and offered repeat aspiration after 12 months. All patients were…