An innovative approach to detect circulating tumor cells.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biotechnology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are key drivers of cancer metastasis.
• Early detection of CTCs is crucial for effective cancer treatment, especially for hard-to-target cancers like triple-negative breast cancer.
• Current therapeutic options are limited, making early detection a critical factor in patient outcomes and survival rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a reliable and affordable method for screening circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
• To establish a circulation model for research involving 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and CTCs.
• To explore a theranostic approach for cancer treatment using 5-ALA.

Main Methods:

• Utilized flow cytometry for CTC detection.
• Employed 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) staining to identify CTCs.
• Established a circulation model to simulate CTC presence in blood.

Main Results:

• The developed method can detect an average of 11 ± 3.3 CTCs per 10,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (approximately 0.1%).
• The screening method demonstrated a reasonable number of false positive events.
• Initial results show potential for a theranostic approach using 5-ALA and its conversion to protoporphyrin IX.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a promising, affordable CTC screening method based on 5-ALA and flow cytometry.
• This method could significantly contribute to early cancer detection and improve patient survival rates.
• Further development of this approach may enhance the overall detection and treatment of various cancers.