Advances in the Biology, Detection Techniques, and Clinical Applications of Circulating Tumor Cells

Wu, Siwen; Zhao, Shubi; Cui, Dawei

doi:10.1155/2022/7149686

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 138 publications

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“…CTCs attracted widespread interest as a minimally invasive tumor marker used for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of therapeutic response in breast cancer and other tumors. Moreover, it can provide novel insights into metastasis and potential therapeutic targets [3,[45][46][47]. Recent studies have shown that CTCs present a clonal heterogeneity with only a subset of the cells having the ability to initiate metastasis [32,48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Image-Based Identification of Aggressive Breast Cancer Circulating Tumor Cell Subtypes

Kamal

Wang

Plummer

et al. 2023

Cancers

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Using previously established CTC lines from breast cancer patients, we identified different morphometric subgroups of CTCs with one of them having the highest tumorigenic potential in vivo despite the slowest cell proliferation in vitro. This subgroup represents 32% of all cells and contains cells with small cell volume, large nucleus to cell, dense nuclear areas to the nucleus, mitochondria to cell volume ratios and rough texture of cell membrane and termed “Small cell, Large mitochondria, Rough membrane” (SLR). RNA-seq analyses showed that the SLR group is enriched in pathways and cellular processes related to DNA replication, DNA repair and metabolism. SLR upregulated genes are associated with poor survival in patients with ER+ breast cancer based on the KM Plotter database. The high tumorigenic potential, slow proliferation, and enriched DNA replication/repair pathways suggest that the SLR subtype is associated with stemness properties. Our new findings provide a simple image-based identification of CTC subpopulations with elevated aggressiveness, which is expected to provide a more accurate prediction of patient survival and therapy response than total CTC numbers. The detection of morphometric and transcriptomic profiles related to the SLR subgroup of CTCs also opens opportunities for potential targeted cancer treatment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Image-Based Identification of Aggressive Breast Cancer Circulating Tumor Cell Subtypes

Kamal

Wang

Plummer

et al. 2023

Cancers

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“…Additionally, investigations have been carried out to ascertain whether the biological insights derived from CTCs hold the potential to advance patient care. Indeed, it is crucial to give significant attention to circulating tumor cells (CTCs), viewing them not merely as progression disease (PD) endpoints, but also recognizing their role as prognostic indicators and as biomarkers for predicting and assessing responses at intermediate endpoints [53]. Various investigations have substantiated the prognostic relevance of CTC counts across diverse tumor types.…”

Section: Clinical Utility Of Ctcs: Emergence As Multifunctional Bioma...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Circulating Tumor Cells as Predictive and Prognostic Biomarkers in Solid Tumors

Capuozzo,

Ferrara,

Santorsola

et al. 2023

Cells

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Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have emerged as pivotal biomarkers with significant predictive and prognostic implications in solid tumors. Their presence in peripheral blood offers a non-invasive window into the dynamic landscape of cancer progression and treatment response. This narrative literature review synthesizes the current state of knowledge surrounding the multifaceted role of CTCs in predicting clinical outcomes and informing prognosis across a spectrum of solid tumor malignancies. This review delves into the evolving landscape of CTC-based research, emphasizing their potential as early indicators of disease recurrence, metastatic potential, and therapeutic resistance. Moreover, we have underscored the dynamic nature of CTCs and their implications for personalized medicine. A descriptive and critical analysis of CTC detection methodologies, their clinical relevance, and their associated challenges is also presented, with a focus on recent advancements and emerging technologies. Furthermore, we examine the integration of CTC-based liquid biopsies into clinical practice, highlighting their role in guiding treatment decisions, monitoring treatment efficacy, and facilitating precision oncology. This review highlights the transformative impact of CTCs as predictive and prognostic biomarkers in the management of solid tumors by promoting a deeper understanding of the clinical relevance of CTCs and their role in advancing the field of oncology.

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Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells Transform Into Cancer Stem Cells and Are Novel Candidates for Detecting/Monitoring Cancer by a Simple Blood Test

Bhartiya¹,

Sharma²,

Dutta³

et al. 2023

Stem Cells

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Cancer continues to remain a “Black Box” as there is no consensus on how it initiates, progresses, metastasizes, or recurs. Many imponderables exist about whether somatic mutations initiate cancer, do cancer stem cells (CSCs) exist, and if yes, are they a result of de-differentiation or originate from tissue-resident stem cells; why do cancer cells express embryonic markers, and what leads to metastasis and recurrence. Currently, the detection of multiple solid cancers through liquid biopsy is based on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or clusters, or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). However, quantity of starting material is usually adequate only when the tumor has grown beyond a certain size. We posit that pluripotent, endogenous, tissue-resident, very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) that exist in small numbers in all adult tissues, exit from their quiescent state due to epigenetic changes in response to various insults and transform into CSCs to initiate cancer. VSELs and CSCs share properties like quiescence, pluripotency, self-renewal, immortality, plasticity, enrichment in side-population, mobilization, and resistance to oncotherapy. HrC test, developed by Epigeneres, offers the potential for early detection of cancer using a common set of VSEL/CSC specific bio-markers in peripheral blood. In addition, NGS studies on VSELs/CSCs/tissue-specific progenitors using the All Organ Biopsy (AOB) test provide exomic and transcriptomic information regarding impacted organ(s), cancer type/subtype, germline/somatic mutations, altered gene expressions, and dysregulated pathways. To conclude, HrC and AOB tests can confirm the absence of cancer and categorize the rest of subjects into low/moderate/high risk of cancer, and also monitor response to therapy, remission, and recurrence.

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Advances in the Biology, Detection Techniques, and Clinical Applications of Circulating Tumor Cells

Cited by 4 publications

References 138 publications

An Image-Based Identification of Aggressive Breast Cancer Circulating Tumor Cell Subtypes

An Image-Based Identification of Aggressive Breast Cancer Circulating Tumor Cell Subtypes

Circulating Tumor Cells as Predictive and Prognostic Biomarkers in Solid Tumors

Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells Transform Into Cancer Stem Cells and Are Novel Candidates for Detecting/Monitoring Cancer by a Simple Blood Test

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