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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Adaptation of Semiautomated Circulating Tumor Cell CTC Assays for Clinical and Preclinical Research Applications
Published on: February 28, 2014
Progress of Circulating Tumor Cells in Cancer Management
Chufeng Zhang1, Lijie Wang1, Yan Guan2
1School of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Jinan-Shandong, Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Cancer Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Abstract:
Circulating tumor cells are low-frequency cells that are shed into the peripheral bloodstream from a primary solid tumor and/or metastasis. Although these cells were recognized initially in 1869, it is only in the past 2 decades that they have been isolated for use as a surrogate biomarker to monitor response to therapy, evaluate prognosis, detect tumor mutations, assist in selecting personalized medicine, and enable earlier cancer diagnosis.
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