Annals of Surgical Oncology, Vol 4, Issue 6 503-505, Copyright © 1997 by Society of Surgical Oncology

ARTICLES

No effect of timing of biopsy in the menstrual cycle on incidence of bone marrow micrometastasis in patients with breast cancer

H. Singhal, C. Potter and M. P. Osborne
Strang-Cornell Cancer Research Laboratory, Strang Cancer Prevention Center, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, NY 10021, USA.

BACKGROUND: The timing of breast cancer excision relative to the menstrual cycle has been debated to be of significant prognostic value. The differences in survival relative to the timing in the menstrual cycle have been attributed to the incidence of micrometastasis. METHODS: All patients underwent bone marrow aspiration after the diagnostic surgical biopsy, immediately before definitive surgery. The timing of the diagnostic surgical biopsy in the menstrual cycle was calculated according to Senie. Monoclonal antibodies to epithelium-specific antigens were used to detect bone marrow micrometastasis (BMM). RESULTS: This study reports on the effect of the phase of the menstrual cycle on incidence of BMM after surgical biopsy. Ninety-two patients with regular cycles underwent bone marrow aspiration an average of 12 days (range 0-32 days) after biopsy. Thirty-nine patients had undergone biopsy during the follicular phase and 53 patients during the luteal phase. BMM were detected in 31% of patients (29 of 92). We observed BMM in 33% of patients (13 of 39) in the follicular phase and in 30% of patients (16 of 53) in the luteal phase. This difference is not significant (p > 0.70). The mean number of cells detected and the presence of clumps of cells is similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and characteristics of bone marrow micrometastases are independent of the timing of diagnostic excision biopsy in the menstrual cycle.