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Editor’s note: Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow are a well-established prognostic factor in breast cancer. A pooled analysis of 4703 patients showed that those with DTCs had larger tumors, higher histological grade, more frequent lymph node metastasis, and a greater likelihood of hormone receptor-negative disease (
N Engl J Med 2005;353:793–802). Prognostic relevance was shown for all subgroups in the analysis, even patients with small tumors without lymph node metastases. In a previous study, the present authors found that DTC detection was associated with not only poorer distant metastasis-free and overall survival, but also worse local relapse-free survival (
Clin Cancer Res 2008;14:3306–11). In the current study, they investigated how the relationship between DTCs and the risk of locoregional recurrence (LRR) in non-metastatic breast cancer is affected by adjuvant locoregional radiotherapy.