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Current detection technologies for circulating tumor cells
Zheyu Shen1, Aiguo Wu, Xiaoyuan Chen
1CAS Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Devices, & Key Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing Materials of Zhejiang Province, & Division of Functional Materials and Nanodevices, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219 ZhongGuan West Road, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China. aiguo@nimte.ac.cn.
Abstract:
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that circulate in the blood stream after being naturally shed from original or metastatic tumors, and can lead to a new fatal metastasis. CTCs have become a hotspot research field during the last decade. Detection of CTCs, as a liquid biopsy of tumors, can be used for early diagnosis of cancers, earlier evaluation of cancer recurrence and chemotherapeutic efficacy, and choice of individual sensitive anti-cancer drugs. Therefore, CTC detection is a crucial tool to fight against cancer. Herein, we classify the currently reported CTC detection technologies, introduce some representative samples for each technology, conclude the advantages and limitations, and give a future perspective including the challenges and opportunities of CTC detection.