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Microfluidics-based High-throughput Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Single-cell Sequencing Technology
Published on: November 14, 2025
706
Progress and challenges of sequencing and analyzing circulating tumor cells
Zhongyi Zhu1,2, Si Qiu1,2, Kang Shao1,2
1BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
Cell Biology and Toxicology
|November 24, 2017
Summary
Circulating tumor cell (CTC) sequencing offers insights into tumor evolution and metastasis. Despite technical challenges, advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) enable comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of CTCs for clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from primary tumors and can metastasize to distant sites.
- CTC analysis is a valuable tool for monitoring cancer progression and patient prognosis.
- Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-cell sequencing (SCS) allow detailed analysis of CTC genomes and transcriptomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize recent studies utilizing NGS for CTC analysis.
- To focus on CTC genome and transcriptome sequencing, including biological and clinical applications.
- To discuss current challenges and future perspectives in CTC sequencing.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature on NGS applications in CTC analysis.
- Focus on methodologies for CTC genome and transcriptome sequencing.
- Analysis of biological and clinical implications derived from CTC sequencing data.
Main Results:
- CTC sequencing successfully monitors genomic variations in metastatic and recurrent tumors.
- It aids in inferring tumor evolution during treatment and examining gene expression.
- Studies highlight the potential of CTC sequencing for understanding epithelial-mesenchymal transition mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- CTC genome and transcriptome sequencing are powerful tools for cancer research and clinical applications.
- Overcoming technical challenges in CTC enrichment, isolation, amplification, and data analysis is crucial.
- Continued advancements in CTC sequencing hold significant promise for personalized cancer medicine.
