Increased circulating M2-like monocytes in patients with breast cancer:

M2-like tumor-associated macrophages promote breast tumor growth and survival and may migrate into the peripheral blood. However, the frequency of circulating M2-like monocytes in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients has not been clarified. The objective of this study was to determine the percentages of circulating M2-like monocytes in patients with breast cancer.Immunofluorescence staining for CD68 and CD163 was performed to detect M2-like macrophages in pathological tissues. Flow cytometry was used to assess the frequencies of circulating CD14+CD163+/CD14+CD204+/CD14+CD163+CD204+ M2-like monocytes in 99 breast cancer patients, 56 patients with benign breast disease, and 60 healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to compare the diagnostic values of circulating M2-like monocytes, carcinoembryonic antigen, and cancer antigen 15-3. The associations among circulating M2-like monocytes and clinical breast cancer parameters were analyzed.The number of CD68+CD163+ M...