Detection and enumeration of circulating tumour cells in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Immunocytochemistry was used in parallel with conventional cytology to detect circulating malignant epithelial cells in 42 patients undergoing resection for colorectal cancer. Preoperative peripheral and peroperative mesenteric venous blood samples were taken. Tumour cells were isolated on a density gradient and cytospins prepared. Slides were stained by conventional cytology (May-Grünwald-Giemsa) and by an indirect immunoperoxidase technique with the anticytokeratin antibody KG8.13. Using conventional cytology, definite morphological evidence of malignancy was observed in three patients and suspicious features in a further seven. Immunocytochemistry confirmed these findings in all three of the malignant but in only one of the suspicious cases. Counts of immunostained cytospins showed the concentration of tumour cells in blood samples from these four patients to be in the range 0-954 cells/ml. This study supports the use of immunological markers to detect and enumerate malignant cells. This method provides a powerful tool to investigate one aspect of the metastatic process.

Induction of tumour cell shedding into effluent venous blood breast cancer surgery

“…Two previous studies have reported on intraoperative sampling of effluent venous blood from colon and renal cancers, but neither determined whether surgery had any effect on the rate of cell shedding (Glaves et al, 1988;Leather et al, 1993). Preliminary results using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to detect circulating tumour cells were similar to our findings, although fewer patients were studied (Brown et al, 1994).…”

“…The importance of the extent of tumour cell shedding into the bloodstream, and the effects of this on cancer surgery have, by contrast, been neglected. The significance of these factors in determining outcome therefore remains unknown.Monoclonal antibodies against epithelial-restricted epitopes now permit reliable identification of small numbers of carcinoma cells among large numbers of cells of haemopoetic lineage in the bloodstream and bone marrow (Leather et al, 1993;Pantel et al, 1993 …”

“…Monoclonal antibodies against epithelial-restricted epitopes now permit reliable identification of small numbers of carcinoma cells among large numbers of cells of haemopoetic lineage in the bloodstream and bone marrow (Leather et al, 1993;Pantel et al, 1993 …”

“…Monoclonal antibodies against epithelial-restricted epitopes now permit reliable identification of small numbers of carcinoma cells among large numbers of cells of haemopoetic lineage in the bloodstream and bone marrow (Leather et al, 1993;Pantel et al, 1993 Clinical study Cells were detected in the blood of only one patient before operation, in 6 of 18 during surgery, and in none 24 h after operation (see Table II; Z = -1.964, 1 d.f., P = 0.025, onetailed). In the one patient with detectable cells preoperatively, the number of cells per ml of blood rose 8-fold during surgery (from seven to a peak of 58 cells ml-1).…”

Detection of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer patients utilizing multiparameter flow cytometry and assessment of the prognosis of patients in different CTCs levels

“…Most current methods do not seem to be sensitive or specific enough to detect circulating cells in significant numbers of patients with carcinomas (15)(16)(17). Recently, a major advance in this area occurred with the advent of flow cytometry, which makes possible the detection of CTCs in a good balance of sensitivity and specificity.…”