Tumor cell dissemination and micrometastases in breast cancer

Despite primary curative therapy by surgery, chemo/hormone therapy and radiation therapy 20-40% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will suffer from a systemic recurrence of their disease within five to ten years, which is incurable. Current interpretation of research data supports the theory that tumor cell dissemination of subpopulations of the primary tumor must have occurred already at the time of primary therapy. Knowledge about these microdisseminated cells has significantly increased over the past few years. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the latest advances of research in this area, as well as to provide a rationale for further studies. Phenotyping and genotyping could yield important insights into the biologic characteristics of disseminated tumor cells.