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Updated: Jun 7, 2025
Capture and Release of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Blood
Published on: October 28, 2016
A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Release of Circulating Tumor and Mesenchymal Cells in No-Touch Radical
Tito Palmela Leitão1,2,3, Patrícia Corredeira1, Carolina Rodrigues1,4
1Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal.
Background:
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may be the missing renal cell carcinoma (RCC) biomarker. No-touch (NT) resection has shown benefit in several tumors.
Methods:
A randomized controlled trial comparing CTC and circulating mesenchymal cell (CMC) release in no-touch (NT) vs. conventional (C) laparoscopic RN. Blood samples were collected at operation room arrival (S0), specimen extraction (S1), postoperative D1, and D30. CTCs were isolated and analyzed using RUBYchip™.
Results:
Thirty-four patients were included. No significant differences were found between groups in CTC and CMC counts, count variations between time points, complications, and survival. The total circulating cell detection rates in the NT, C, and overall RCC groups were 58.3%, 80.0%, and 70.4% at S0; 41.6%, 86.7%, and 66.7% at S1; 50.0%, 64.3%, and 60.0% at D1; and 54.5%, 42.9%, and 44.0% at D30, respectively. A progressive decrease in CMCs was observed in the C group after surgery, especially at D1 (4.78 to 1.64 CMCs/7.5 mL blood, p = 0.035). Healthy controls had no circulating cells; however, high CMC counts were found in chronic inflammation controls and oncocytoma patients, with no significant difference from RCC patients (p = 0.460).
Conclusions:
NT RN did not reduce circulating cell release nor improve survival compared to C RN.
