Distribution and clinical significance of circulating tumor cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Objective: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the leading malignancies with obscure etiology. Circulating tumor cells have been showed to intimately correlate with characteristics in different kinds of cancer. But links between circulating tumor cells and nasopharyngeal carcinoma were still lacking. Therefore, we explored circulating tumor cells' distribution in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and their possible associations with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Firstly, we found that the positive ratio of circulating tumor cells is extremely high in four stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Meanwhile, positive ratios of mesenchymal circulating tumor cells were higher in early stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Apart from epithelial circulating tumor cells, total, hybrid and mesenchymal circulating tumor cells were correlated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma clinical stage. Results: Our results showed that hybrid and mesenchymal circulating tumor cells were associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis (both distant and lymph node) and smoking. Meanwhile, hybrid circulating tumor cells expressed the highest Epstein-Barr virus proteins and deoxyribonucleic acid in three types of circulating tumor cells. Moreover, we found that Epstein-Barr virus proteins viral-caspid antigen-immunoglobulin A (VCA/IgA) and early antigen-immunoglobulin A (EA/IgA), but not Epstein-Barr virus-deoxyribonucleic acid, had a closed association with nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis. However, Epstein-Barr virus hallmarks failed to associate with other nasopharyngeal carcinoma characteristics. Furthermore, we confirmed that matrix metalloproteinase 9 existed in circulating tumor cells and expressed most in mesenchymal circulating tumor cells. In addition, matrix metalloproteinase 9-expressed extent in hybrid circulating tumor cells is somewhat different from epithelial and mesenchymal circulating tumor cells in matrix metalloproteinase 9-positive circulating tumor cells. Nevertheless, matrix metalloproteinase 9 had no relationship with other nasopharyngeal carcinoma characteristics. Finally, our results showed that circulating tumor cells were decreased in patients after therapies. carcinoma metastasis. Of note, decreased circulating tumor cells indicated a favorable curative effect in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Phenotypes of circulating tumour cells predict time to castration resistance in metastatic castration‐sensitive prostate cancer

“…In the present study, we used the CanPatrol technique to count and characterize CTCs in a single test . The CanPatrol technique characterizes and classifies CTCs into epithelial, biophenotypic and mesenchymal phenotypes .…”

“…In the present study, we used the CanPatrol technique to count and characterize CTCs in a single test . The CanPatrol technique characterizes and classifies CTCs into epithelial, biophenotypic and mesenchymal phenotypes . Compared with the CellSearch platform, which uses anti‐EpCAM‐coated magnetic beads to capture CTCs, the CanPatrol technique uses an unbiased CTC isolation method that allows the isolation of CTCs that do not detectably express epithelial markers .…”

“…The CanPatrol technique characterizes and classifies CTCs into epithelial, biophenotypic and mesenchymal phenotypes [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Compared with the CellSearch platform, which uses anti-EpCAM-coated magnetic beads to capture CTCs, the CanPatrol technique uses an unbiased CTC isolation method that allows the isolation of CTCs that do not detectably express epithelial markers [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. For example, the CanPatrol technique was used to detect CTCs in patients with nasopharyngeal, breast, liver, gastric, colorectal and nonsmall-cell lung cancer, and three phenotypes of CTCs are present in all [10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…Counting and characterization of CTCs were performed using the CanPatrol CTC technique (SurExam, Guangzhou, China), as described in detail in previous studies [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Specifically, the CanPatrol CTC technique employs a filtration system comprising a filtration tube containing a calibrated membrane (8-lm-diameter pores; SurExam), a manifold vacuum plate with valve settings (SurExam), an E-Z 96 vacuum manifold (Omega, Norcross, GA, USA), and a vacuum pump (Auto Science, Tianjin, China).…”

Practical value of identifying circulating tumor cells to evaluate esophageal squamous cell carcinoma staging and treatment efficacy

“…Twist, a transcriptional factor involved in cell differentiation, is also a potential biomarker for EMT . A significant number of CTCs expressing Twist have been detected in the blood of breast, stomach, nasopharyngeal, colorectal, and liver cancer patients . In addition, detection of the soluble fragment of CK19 (CYFRA 21‐1) in the blood can be used to determine radiotherapy efficacy in ESCC .…”