Molecular Detection of Cytokeratin-19 Positive Cells in The Peripheral Blood of Patients with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the number one cancer in women worldwide, regardless of where they live, whether in industrial or developing nations. Every year more than one million women are diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 400,000 die. There are close to four million women living with breast cancer on our planet moreover breast cancer is the most common malignancy among egyptian women. This study was conducted in Clinical Pathology, Surgery and Oncology departments of Zagazig University Hospitals .The study included 60 female patients with age ranged between 35 and 60 years and 10 apparently healthy age and sex matched females. They were classified into 3 groups. Group I: Thirty five patients with operable breast cancer (stage I and stage II ) after the removal of the primary tumor and before the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal treatment. Group II: Twenty five patients with metastatic breast cancer before the initiation of any front line chemotherapy or hormone treatment.Group III: 10 healthy females. Whose breast were scanned by mammography and confirmed to be free of any mass. All patients and control were subjected to the following investigations: Full medical history were taken from all participates . -Full clinical examination including chest ,heart,abdomen and LN.- ECG, X – ray and mammography -Laboratory investigations including: 1-Routine laboratory investigations; CBC, liver and kidney function tests 2- CA15-3, CEA 3- LDH. 4- Peripheral blood was tested for the presence of CK-19 mRNA positive cells by nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction .