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Updated: May 20, 2026
Adaptation of Semiautomated Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Assays for Clinical and Preclinical Research Applications
Published on: February 28, 2014
Mesenchymal characterization: alternative to simple CTC detection in two clinical trials
Guislaine Barriere1, Alain Riouallon, Joël Renaudie
1Astralab Clinical Laboratory, 7-11 Avenue de Lattre de Tassigny, 87000 Limoges, France. guislainebarriere@yahoo.fr
Background:
Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women. Approximately 25% of patients with early-stage disease will develop metastatic recurrence. Two clinical trials were undertaken in order to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in primary breast cancer.
Patients And Methods:
Four-hundred patients with early breast cancer were enrolled in the trial. After enrichment from their peripheral blood, their CTCs were characterized by gene expression of cancer cell markers.
Results:
CTCs had a predominant epithelial phenotype in 8.75% of patients and de-differentiated characteristics (mesenchymal, stem phenotypes alone or both) in 37.6%.
Conclusion:
Tumor epithelial cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition give rise to cells with mesenchymal aggressive phenotype. Detection of mesenchymal and cancer stem cells, which are tumor-initiating cells, is more relevant than simple counting of CTCs to assess their presence in the blood of patients with breast cancer. This study will be the basis for future evaluation of the outcome of the disease and the prognostic value of early-detected CTCs.
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