Dynamic EpCAM expression on circulating and disseminating tumor cells: causes and consequences

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cancer Biology
• Cellular Biology

Background:

• Metastasis formation is a critical and lethal aspect of cancer progression.
• Circulating and disseminated tumor cells (CTCs/DTCs) are key drivers of metastasis.
• Accurate detection and characterization of CTCs/DTCs are vital for cancer research and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the dynamic expression of EpCAM in carcinoma cells.
• To summarize potential mechanisms and reasons for EpCAM expression changes.
• To highlight the implications of EpCAM dynamics for CTC/DTC detection strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating EpCAM expression in cancer cells.
• Analysis of data on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and EpCAM regulation.
• Synthesis of current understanding regarding EpCAM's role in metastasis.

Main Results:

• EpCAM expression is not static and can be dynamically regulated in carcinoma cells.
• Loss of EpCAM expression is frequently observed during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
• Dynamic EpCAM expression poses challenges for current CTC/DTC detection methods relying on EpCAM capture.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the dynamic regulation of EpCAM is essential for improving CTC/DTC detection.
• Alternative or complementary markers may be needed to overcome EpCAM expression variability.
• Further research into EpCAM modulation during cancer progression is warranted for enhanced diagnostic and prognostic tools.