[Circulating tumor cells: liquid biopsy]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Translational Cancer Research
• Biomarker Discovery

Context:

• Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are actively researched biomarkers in over 400 clinical studies.
• CTCs offer prognostic information, aid therapy stratification, and help identify therapeutic targets and resistance mechanisms.
• Understanding metastasis development in cancer patients is a key research aim involving CTCs.

Purpose:

• This review focuses on technologies for enriching and detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
• It outlines and discusses current technologies exploiting CTC physical and biological properties.
• The review emphasizes challenges in improving CTC detection, particularly for cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Summary:

• Innovative technologies like CTC microchips, filtration devices, qPCR, and automated microscopy are improving CTC detection.
• Molecular characterization reveals CTC heterogeneity, necessitating multiplex approaches to capture all relevant subsets.
• Increasing assay sensitivity risks decreased specificity, highlighting the need for robust validation.

Impact:

• Demonstrating analytical specificity and clinical utility in large prospective studies is crucial for integrating CTC detection into clinical practice.
• Advancements in CTC detection technologies hold promise for personalized cancer medicine.
• Improved CTC detection and characterization can lead to better patient outcomes through enhanced monitoring and targeted therapies.