OBJECTIVES:
* To assess frequency of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with metastatic ovarian, breast, pancreatic, and colon cancers.
* To assess the variability in number of CTCs between patients with the same tumor type.
* To correlate the number of CTCs with extent of tumor burden as measured by tumor markers, imaging, and the number of metastatic sites and proliferation and apoptotic markers.
OUTLINE: Blood samples are collected before treatment and analyzed using molecular detection techniques to detect circulating cancer cells. Samples are assessed by immunofluorescence for markers of proliferation and survival (e.g., EGFR, phosphorylated EGFR, AKT, phosphorylated AKT, cytokeratins, MAPK, Src, and FAK).
