Correlation Analysis of Breast Cancer Molecular Characteristics and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Circulating Tumor Cells: Based on Clinical Cases

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the correlation between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood and molecular characteristics of breast cancer. MethodsWe enrolled 48 breast cancer patients who underwent CTC testing at Shenzhen Peoples Hospitals Breast Surgery Department between September 2022 and May 2024. Intraoperative tissue samples underwent routine pathological and immunohistochemical examination. CTCs were detected using Canpatrol technology. Clinical data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 27.0. Categorical data were presented as percentages/frequencies. Comparisons used chi-square tests, with Yates correction for expected frequencies 0.05). Luminal-type tumors exhibited lower EMT grades than other subtypes, while triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) showed higher EMT grades (P<0.05). ConclusionEMT grade correlates with luminal-type and TNBC subtypes, suggesting predictive value for these breast cancer classifications.