Epithelial cells in bone marrow: do they matter?

• Published in: Gut Vol. 54; no. 12; pp. 1821 - 1822
• Main Authors: Marsman, W A, Westerterp, M, van Heek, N J, ten Kate, F J, Izbicki, J R, van Lanschot, J J B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology 01.12.2005; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; Copyright 2005 by Gut
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - secondary; Adenoma - pathology; Bone marrow; Bone Marrow Cells - pathology; Bone Marrow Neoplasms - secondary; Cancer; colorectal adenoma; epithelial cells; Epithelial Cells - pathology; Esophageal Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Letter; Metastasis; Morphology; Phosphatase; Tumors; Germany
• ISSN: 0017-5749; 1468-3288; 1458-3288
• DOI: 10.1136/gut.2005.078774

Patients with breast cancer frequently develop clinically manifest bone marrow metastases and in these patients detection of this type of micrometastatic disease has been shown to have prognostic impact. 1, 2 Gastrointestinal cancers, however, relatively rarely develop overt bone marrow metastases and also the clinical impact of the detection of bone marrow micrometastases in these patients is less clear. Studies that have examined negative control patients have also reported positive bone marrow staining for Ber-EP4 cells in up to 10% of patients. 3, 4 One study focused on the methodology of the alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase staining and reported positive staining in up to 42% of patients without cancer.