Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Detection of a Circulating MicroRNA Custom Panel in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Published on: March 14, 2019
Predicting Outcome and Therapy Response in mCRC Patients Using an Indirect Method for CTCs Detection by a Multigene
Yolanda Vidal Insua1, Juan de la Cámara2, Elena Brozos Vázquez3
1Translational Medical Oncology, Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, SERGAS Group, Trav. Choupana s/n, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Yolanda.Vidal.Insua@sergas.es.
A new gene expression panel detects circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients, offering a more reliable prognostic and monitoring tool than CT scans for early treatment response assessment.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality.
- Early detection of tumor relapse is critical for effective therapeutic management.
- Current methods like computed tomography (CT) have limitations in visualizing small tumor changes, highlighting the need for reliable blood-based biomarkers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively validate a gene expression panel for detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
- To assess the panel's utility as a prognostic and predictive tool in metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients.
- To compare the efficacy of CTC detection with CT scans for treatment response assessment.
Main Methods:
- A gene expression panel (GAPDH, VIL1, CLU, TIMP1, TLN1, LOXL3, ZEB2) was used.
- Blood samples from 94 mCRC patients were analyzed.
- Gene expression levels were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
Main Results:
- Higher pre-treatment gene panel expression correlated with reduced PFS and OS.
- Changes in CTC marker expression during treatment significantly impacted PFS and OS.
- Patients identified as non-responders by CTCs but responders by CT scan had significantly shorter survival times.
Conclusions:
- The validated CTC detection panel is effective for early treatment response assessment in mCRC.
- This gene expression panel offers increased reliability compared to CT scan for monitoring treatment efficacy.
- The findings support the use of CTCs as a valuable prognostic and predictive tool in mCRC management.
