Challenges in circulating tumor cell detection by the CellSearch system
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Guus van Dalum; Leon W.M.M. Terstappen; Kiki C. Andree
- Source
- Molecular oncology, 10(3), 395-407. Elsevier
- Subject
- 0301 basic medicine
Oncology
Cancer Research
Poor prognosis
medicine.medical_specialty
education
Reviews
Cell Count
Cell Separation
Biology
Bioinformatics
03 medical and health sciences
chemistry.chemical_compound
0302 clinical medicine
Circulating tumor cell
Internal medicine
hemic and lymphatic diseases
Neoplasms
Genetics
Cell separation
medicine
Animals
Humans
In patient
Liquid biopsy
neoplasms
Rare event detection
Epithelial cell adhesion molecule
General Medicine
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
Prognosis
digestive system diseases
3. Good health
030104 developmental biology
chemistry
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Molecular Medicine
Clearance
- Language
- ISSN
- 1878-0261
1574-7891
Enumeration and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTC) hold the promise of a real time liquid biopsy. They are however present in a large background of hematopoietic cells making their isolation technically challenging. In 2004, the CellSearch system was introduced as the first and only FDA cleared method designed for the enumeration of circulating tumor cells in 7.5 mL of blood. Presence of CTC detected by CellSearch is associated with poor prognosis in metastatic carcinomas. CTC remaining in patients after the first cycles of therapy indicates a futile therapy. Here we review challenges faced during the development of the CellSearch system and the difficulties in assigning objects as CTC. The large heterogeneity of CTC and the different approaches introduced in recent years to isolate, enumerate and characterize CTC results in a large variation of the number of CTC reported urging the need for uniform definitions and at least a clear definition of what the criteria are for assigning an object as a CTC.