JoVE - Journal of Visualized Experiments
JoVE Visualize
Contact Us

Transferrin receptor-based circulating tumor cell enrichment provides a snapshot of the molecular landscape of solid tumors and correlates with clinical outcomes

Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences +

|

July 1, 2024

|

July 1, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Transferrin Receptor (TfR) offers a superior method for capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from solid tumors compared to EpCAM. This new biomarker aids in monitoring disease progression and treatment response in various cancers.

Area Of Science

  • Oncology
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Molecular Diagnostics

Background

  • Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial for precision oncology, but current enrichment methods like EpCAM are limited by low expression in certain cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • Standardized CTC enrichment platforms are lacking, hindering their widespread clinical application across diverse tumor types.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To identify and validate a novel biomarker for efficient and selective capture of CTCs in solid tumors.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of Transferrin Receptor (TfR) as a CTC biomarker across prostate, pancreatic, and NSCLC patient cohorts.

Main Methods

  • Utilized Transferrin Receptor (TfR) as a biomarker for CTC identification and capture.
  • Compared TfR-based enrichment with the standard EpCAM method across different solid tumor types.
  • Correlated TfR-positive CTC (TfR+-CTC) counts with clinical parameters such as disease progression, overall survival, and treatment resistance.

Main Results

  • TfR demonstrated significantly higher CTC counts compared to EpCAM across prostate, pancreatic, and NSCLC.
  • TfR+-CTC enumeration correlated with disease progression in metastatic prostate and pancreatic cancers.
  • TfR+-CTC counts correlated with overall survival and osimetinib resistance in NSCLC patients.

Conclusions

  • Transferrin Receptor (TfR) is a highly effective and selective biomarker for CTC identification and capture in major solid tumors.
  • TfR-based CTC analysis provides valuable prognostic information and insights into treatment response, particularly in NSCLC.
  • TfR+-CTC profiling offers a molecular snapshot of tumors, aiding in understanding treatment resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies and immunotherapies.