Platelets and circulating (tumor) cells: partners in promoting metastatic cancer

Despite being discovered decades ago, metastasis remains a formidable challenge in cancer treatment. During the intermediate phase of metastasis, tumor cells detach from primary tumor or metastatic sites and travel through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to distant tissues. These tumor cells in the circulation are known as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and a higher number of CTCs has been linked to poor prognoses in various cancers. The blood is an inhospitable environment for any foreign cells, including CTCs, as they face numerous challenges, such as the shear stress within blood vessels and their interactions with blood and immune cells. However, the exact mechanisms by which CTCs survive the hostile conditions of the bloodstream remain enigmatic. Platelets have been studied for their interactions with tumor cells, promoting their survival, growth, and metastasis. This review explores the latest clinical methods for enumerating CTCs, recent findings on platelet-CTC crosstalk, and current research on antiplatelet therapy as a potential strategy to inhibit metastasis, offering new therapeutic insights.

Laboratory and clinical data have provided insights into the role of platelets in promoting CTC survival, while clinical advancements in CTC enumeration offer improved prognostic tools.

CTCs play a critical role in metastasis, and their interactions with platelets aid their survival in the hostile environment of the bloodstream. Understanding this crosstalk offers insights into potential therapeutic strategies, including antiplatelet therapy, to inhibit metastasis and improve cancer treatment outcomes.