Circulating Tumor Cells as an Indicator of Postoperative Lung Cancer: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are tumor cells that are shed from primary tumors and circulate in the peripheral blood. CTCs, as a surrogate of micro-metastasis, can be a useful clinical marker, but their clinical significance remains unclear in lung cancer. We now report a case of lung cancer in which the count of CTCs was useful in monitoring postoperative recurrence. CASE REPORT A 50-year-old man had undergone right upper lobectomy for lung cancer (pT1bN2M0, stage IIIA adenocarcinoma), followed by cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. After the patient's operation, we initiated monitoring of CTCs using CellSearch, and documented the change in the CTC count along with the development of cancer recurrence and response or progression to chemotherapy given for recurrent disease. CONCLUSIONS The CTC count may be useful in monitoring blood of patients with lung cancer.