Cancer Options – Circulating Tumor Cells Have a Big Impact On Your Life
March 31, 2010
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Posted by admin
Circulating tumor cells (CTC) can be detected, counted and evaluated. Recent technology gains give scientists a capability that didn’t exist just a few years ago. CTC are cancer seeds looking for a home. They travel through your blood stream until they die, they find a home, they become damaged or they become the target of your white blood cells. Three out of four of those conditions allow are good for you because the wandering cancer seeds will not impact your health. Those that find a home may develop new tumor sites in the conditions are right.
Cancer seeds typically come from a growing primary tumor that has found a home somewhere in your body. However, the CTC might be identical to the primary cancer. If they are, then any treatment that you give to fight the primary tumor will also fight the CTC. If the CTC are not identical, then any treatment given to eradicate the primary tumor may have little to no effect of the CTC. That’s important to you. You think that because you had chemo and radiation and the primary tumor is shrinking that all is good. It might be good and it might not be. There is a test today that can measure your risk and determine what options might be better. In a future blog I will discuss the ability to analyze the CTC to determine what options might be more sensible.
A lot of recent studies have shown that the cancer seeds floating throughout your body are actually different than the primary tumor that your doctor can see and measure. The measuring equipment can count the number of CTC in 7.5 milliliters of blood and determine you risk of survival. It appears that 5 or more CTC per 7.5 ml of blood is bad news, especially if they are genetically different than your primary tumor.
Allow me to lay out a scenario or two about what is important to know before any kind of treatment. You have a primary tumor and you have no idea that you might have circulating cancer seeds looking for a home – almost the worst case scenario. It becomes the worst case scenario when those CTC are not genetically the same as your primary tumor. The next scenario gives you information about the number of CTC floating in through your blood stream. It is not good news if the CTC number is 5 or greater. It is the worst news if the CTC count is five or greater and they are genetically different that your primary tumor. The best scenario is that you have no CTC in your blood stream; or, if you have less than a count of 5 and they are genetically similar to your primary tumor. For whatever reason, the number 5 is magical. It means that your chance of survival doubles if it is less than 5.
Here are a few quick examples. Thirty-five women with non-metastatic breast cancer – 17 tested positive for CTC and 18 did not. The group of 18 had an average survival rate of 125 months compared to 61 months for the group of 17 which tested positive for CTC with a count over 5. Let’s look at another test, this time with 151 women with metastatic breast cancer. Those women with 5 or more CTC had a median survival rate of 13.5 months. Those with less than 5 had a survival rate of 29 months. Another test with men showed similar results. Thirty-seven men with metastatic prostate cancer showed the group with a CTC of 5 or more had a survival rate of 8.4 months. Those with a CTC under 5 showed a survival rate of 48 months.
The success of surgery is greatly improved if your surgeon knows the CTC number before surgery. CTC numbers can actually predict the success of surgery. In another study with 138 men with prostate cancer, those with CTC were compared to those without CTC. Those with CTC were twelve times more likely to have an unsuccessful surgery. CTC testing is superior to PSA tests and the Gleason score in predicting the overall success or failure of surgery.
CTC has shown better predictive effectiveness when compared to CT and MRI scans. In a test comparing CTC to CT and MRI, the results were evaluated by two noted and independent radiologists. After four weeks, the patients were measured using conventional imaging (CT and MRI) and their CTC were also tested. Success was greater with CTC readings below 5. The CTC testing was more reliable and consistent compared to the imaging studies. Imaging evaluations were not consistent in 15% of the cases compared to 1% inconsistency in the CTC testing. CTC testing gives your doctor an earlier picture of what to expect for the various options of treatment.
During the course of any cancer treatment, CTC has shown to be a better predictor of treatment success or failure. If your CTC did not change, then your doctor knows sooner and other options can be employed much earlier than waiting for imaging scans days later. CTC gives you a good assessment regarding the effectiveness of your cancer treatment - the success or failure. CTC has been shown recently to predict the recurrence of cancer after surgery. Negative CTC readings after surgery indicate little likelihood of cancer recurrence compared to positive CTC readings in a number of analyses.
Choices have consequences. Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin
Categories: cancer
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Tags: blood stream, cancer, cancer seeds, chemo, circulating tumor cells, CT, CTC, detection, evaluation, genetics, imaging, metastasis, MRI, predictions, PSA, radiation, recurrence, risk, success, surgery, survival, treatment, worst case scenario
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