Detection of cytokeratin-19 mRNA-positive cells in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of patients with operable breast cancer

摘要

Background:To compare detection rates and evaluate the clinical relevance of cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) mRNA-positive cells in the peripheral blood (circulating tumour cells, CTCs) and bone marrow (disseminated tumour cells; DTCs) of patients with early breast cancer.