Clinical significance of circulating tumour cells and Ki-67 in renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignant tumour of the genitourinary system. We aimed to analyse the potential value of metastasis-related biomarkers, circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and the proliferative marker Ki-67 in the diagnosis of RCC. Methods Data from 24 laparoscopic radical nephrectomies (RNs) and 17 laparoscopic partial nephrectomies (PNs) were collected in 2018. The numbers and positive rates of CTCs and circulating tumour microemboli (CTM) in the peripheral blood were obtained at three different time points: just before surgery, immediately after surgery and 1 week after surgery. Ki-67 protein expression was evaluated in the RCC tissue by immunohistochemistry. Results Except for the statistically significant association between the preoperative CTC counts and tumour size, no association between the number and positive rate of perioperative CTCs and clinicopathological features was found. The CTC counts gradually decreased during the perioperative period, and at 1 week after surgery, they were significantly lower than those before surgery. High Ki-67 expression was significantly positively correlated with preoperative CTC counts. In addition, Ki-67 expression was higher in the high CTC group (≥ 5 CTCs). Conclusion Our results suggest that surgical nephrectomy is associated with a decrease in CTC counts in RCC patients. CTCs can act as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of RCC. A careful and sufficient long-term follow-up is needed for patients with high preoperative CTC counts.

Construction of an individualized clinical prognostic index based on ubiquitination-associated lncRNA in clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients

“…The ubiquitination factor E4B (UBE4B) has been extensively explored in ccRCC tumor tissues and cell lines and may act as an oncogene in ccRCC development, apoptosis, and cell proliferation regulation [ 24 ]. Furthermore, degradation and ubiquitination of ARHGEF7, mediated by KLHL2, was observed in ccRCC cell cultures, suggesting the essential role of ubiquitination in the development of ccRCC [ 25 , 26 ]. Likely, ubiquitin-like PHD and RING finger domain 1 (UHRF1) has been reported to promote non-degradative ubiquitination of p53, suppress p53 pathway activation, and p53-dependent apoptosis in ccRCC cells [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Precision Medicine: An Optimal Approach to Patient Care in Renal Cell Carcinoma

“…The trans-circulatory pathway is one of the most important pathways in RCC metastasis ( 211 ). A metastatic disease is the result of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), a rare subset of tumor-disseminated cells that are shed in the patient's blood.…”

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

“…Driemel et al found that the high expression of EpCAM was common in cancer cells in the proliferation stage, while the low expression of EpCAM inhibited the proliferation of CTCs [27]. Studies have reported low levels of expression of proliferating nuclear antigen Ki-67 in CTCs, suggesting that most CTCs may remain in a dormant state without entering the cell division cycle [28,29]. It has also been found that, several years after primary tumorigenesis, dispersed CTCs and micrometastasis niche can remain dormant for a long time during resection of primary tumors [30].…”