Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42569275›Full record

ArticleThe journal of liquid biopsy2026

Circulating tumor cells predict early skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer.

S Grisanti, F Consoli, G Ippolito, R Pedersini, V Amoroso, D Cosentini, G Scartabellati, L Moretti, G Schivardi, L C Ammoni and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of liquid biopsy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

S GrisantiMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
F ConsoliMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
G IppolitoMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
R PedersiniMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
V AmorosoMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
D CosentiniMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
G ScartabellatiMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
L MorettiMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
G SchivardiMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
L C AmmoniMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
A BaggiMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
A TurlaMedical Oncology Unit, ASST Valcamonica, Esine, Brescia, Italy.
W VermiDepartment of Pathology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
C AlmiciDepartment of Transfusion Medicine, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
A BerrutiMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
M LaganàMedical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Bone metastases and following skeletal-related events (SREs) are frequent in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and are a major cause of disability. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are prognostic in MBC and are more frequent in patients with bone metastases (BMs). We investigated whether CTCs could be quantitative predictive factors of SREs in this setting. Methods: CTC analysis was performed using CellSearch technology within the first month of BM diagnosis and blood samples containing ≥5 CTCs/7.5 mL were considered positive. Patients were then prospectively followed-up until first onset of a SRE or death. Results: In 145 BM-MBC patients, mean CTC number was 295/7.5 mL and 60% of patients had ≥5 CTCs. SREs occurred in 82 (57%) patients. After a median follow-up of 105 months, median time-to-SRE (TT-SRE), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from CTC analysis were 18, 5, and 14 months, respectively. In multivariable analysis, CTCs ≥5 predicted a shorter TT-SRE (median ttSRE 11 vs 31 months, HR 2.08, 95%CI 1.26-3.40, p .004). CTC ≥5 were also an independent predictor of shorter PFS (HR 2.72, 95%CI 1.86-3.95, p < 0.0005) and worse OS (HR 3.16, 95%CI 2.183-4.576, p < 0.0005). Conclusion: In this series of MBC patients with BMs and a long follow-up, the detection of CTCs in peripheral blood was not only associated with a worse prognosis in terms of PFS and OS, but was also predictive of an increased risk of skeletal-related events.

Indexed as

Bone metastasesBreast cancerCirculating tumor cellsSkeletal-related events

Identifiers

PMID42569275
PMCPMC13449667

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.