Roviello G, et al. – The correlation between circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and patterns of recurrence in patients with hormone–sensitive prostate cancer, was investigated. There appeared a correlation between the detection of CTCs in the blood and the pattern of progression in patients with hormone–sensitive prostate cancer, even if the study enrolled only a small number of patients, suggesting a possible role in anticipating recurrence at the bone in men with higher tumor load.

• Patients with histologically confirmed, advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma, were part of this study.
• These individuals were tested for CTCs (Veridex) when they developed recurrence after radical prostatectomy or external beam radiation between 2008 and 2014.
• Assessment was performed for forty-two prostate cancer patients.
• In 14 out of 42 (33.3%) patients (Group A), CTCs were detected.
• On the other hand, mean prostate-specific antigen value was higher in Group A in comparison to Group B (6.2 vs 3.3 ng/dL) (P=0.48).
• Results revealed common presence of bone metastases alone or along with nodal metastases in Group A (57.1%) than Group B (25%) (P=0.04).
• The presence of CTCs at diagnosis correlated with the development of bone recurrence (OR: 4; 95% CI: 1.0–15.9; P=0.05), in a univariate analysis.