QUANTIFICATION OF CIRCULATING ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (CEC) AND PLASMA ANGIOGENIC FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• To compare peripheral blood (PB) concentrations of circulating endothelial cells (CEC) in women with measurable, active breast cancer to PB concentrations of CEC in a control population of women with a history of breast cancer who are currently without evidence of active disease.

Secondary

• To compare in women with measurable breast cancer the relationship between PB concentrations of CEC prior to and at 3 and 6 weeks following initiation of a new chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, and correlate these values with clinical response to treatment to determine if CEC can be used as a tumor marker or indicator of disease burden.
• To compare PB concentrations of CEC to levels of plasma proteins associated with angiogenesis, including vascular endothelial growth factor, in women with active or a prior history of breast cancer.