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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Development of a Human Preclinical Model of Osteoclastogenesis from Peripheral Blood Monocytes Co-cultured with Breast Cancer Cell Lines
Published on: September 13, 2017
Association between circulating tumor cells and peripheral blood monocytes in metastatic breast cancer
Ugo De Giorgi1, Michal Mego2, Emanuela Scarpi3
1Department of Medical Oncology, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Via Maroncelli 40, Meldola, 47014, Italy.
Background:
We retrospectively evaluated the correlation between a baseline measurement of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and inflammation-based scores in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
Methods:
The optimal value of inflammation-based scores as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) to predict survival was determined and compared with CTC <5 or ⩾5 per 7.5 ml of blood.
Results:
In the overall population of 516 women with MBC, CTCs correlated with peripheral blood monocytes (p = 0.008) and neutrophils (p = 0.038). In triple-negative tumors, CTCs correlated with monocyte count (p = 0.009); in HER2+ tumors, CTCs correlated with neutrophil count (p = 0.009), with a trend versus monocyte count (p = 0.061), whereas no correlation was found in HER2- estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) tumors. In multivariate analysis only monocytes were associated with ⩾5 CTCs (OR = 2.72, 95% CI 1.09-6.80, p = 0.033). In multivariable analysis for predictors of overall survival, CTC (⩾5 versus <5), number of metastatic sites (>1 versus 1), tumor subtypes (triple-negative versus HER2- ER+ tumors) and MLR only remained significant.
Conclusions:
CTC and MLR are predictors of overall survival in MBC. CTC correlates with monocytes, in particular in triple-negative tumors.
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