Elucidation of interaction between bone marrow micro-metastases in breast cancer patients

为了阐明骨髓弥散性肿瘤细胞（DTC）与骨微环境的相互作用以及双膦酸盐在早期乳腺癌中的作用，我们采用唑来膦酸（ZA）对乳腺癌患者进行新辅助化疗，观察DTC、循环肿瘤细胞（CTC）和循环内皮细胞（CEC）的病理反应和变化。我们治疗了30例患者，其中9例有2至3级缓解。3例患者CTC阳性，化疗后均为阴性。CEC随化疗增加。ZA化疗可增加CEC， CEC可能成为新辅助化疗的生物标志物。仅3例患者DTC阳性，且肿瘤细胞较少，因此难以研究骨微环境中肿瘤细胞与细胞的相互作用。因此，有必要研究骨转移瘤样本中肿瘤细胞与骨微环境细胞之间的相互作用

To elucidate the interaction of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow (DTC) and bone microenvironment and the effects of bisphosphonates in early breast cancer, we treated breast cancer patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with zoledronic acid (ZA), and examined pathological response and changes of DTC, circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating endothelial cells (CEC). We treated 30 patients and had Grade 2 to 3 response in 9 patients. CTC was positive in three patients and all became negative after chemotherapy. CEC increased with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy with ZA may increase CEC, and CEC may become a biomarker of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. DTC was positive in only three patients and tumor cells were few, so it was difficult to investigate interaction between tumor cells and cells in bone micro-environment. It should be necessary to investigate interaction between tumor cells and cells in bone micro-environment in the samples of bone metastases