Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells Using Imaging Flow Cytometry in Liver Disease Patients

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is asymptomatic at an early stage which delays its timely diagnosis and treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), derived from a primary or secondary tumor, may help in the management of HCC. Here, we evaluate and characterize CTCs in liver disease patients.

In total, 65 patients, categorized into liver cirrhosis (LC) (n = 30) and HCC (n = 35), were enrolled. Using ImagestreamX MkII imaging flow cytometer, CTCs were detected and characterized using biomarker expression of EpCAM, CK, AFP, CD45, and DRAQ5 in LC and HCC patients.

CTCs were detected in 33/35 (94%) HCC patients and in 28/30 (93%) LC patients. In the HCC group, the number of biomarker-positive CTCs was higher in BCLC stage D when compared with others. EpCAM + CK was the most expressed biomarker on CTCs in LC versus HCC (83.3% vs. 77.14%), followed by AFP (80% vs. 65.71%), EpCAM (30% vs. 28.57%), and CK (16.6% vs. 14.28%). The EpCAM cell area was significantly associated (P value = 0.031) with the CTC-positive status. The combination biomarker expression of CTCs cell area (EpCAM, CK, and AFP) performed well with the area under the curve of 0.92, high sensitivity, and specificity in detecting early-stage and AFP-negative HCC as well as in AFP-negative LC cases.

Enumeration and cell area of CTCs may be used as a biomarker for early detection of HCC and guiding treatment.