Systematic optimization of culture conditions and evaluation of in vitro Circulating tumor cell clusters

Abstract

Circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters runs a critical role in carcinoma metastasis. However, the rarity of CTC clusters and the limitations of capture techniques have blocked research progress. In vitro CTC clusters model can help us further understand the biological properties of CTC clusters and their clinical significance. It is worth noting that the biological variability of in vitro CTC clusters model due to different culture conditions has a non-negligible impact on the experimental results. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the biological similarity of in vitro CTC cluster models with clinical CTC clusters. Here, we optimized the culture method for the in vitro CTC cluster model based on the physiological environment of CTC in the circulatory system, and more importantly, we emphasized the importance of evaluating the in vitro CTC cluster models with reference to the biological characteristics of reported real CTC clusters, and assessed the similarity of the in vitro CTC clusters model, providing a reliable method for the study of CTC clusters.