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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Micromanipulation of Circulating Tumor Cells for Downstream Molecular Analysis and Metastatic Potential Assessment
Published on: May 14, 2019
Detection of Circulating Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Their Impact on
Kazuaki Chikamatsu1, Hideyuki Takahashi1, Shota Ida1
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
Background:
Like tumor cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can enter the bloodstream and may function in systemic circulation.
Methods:
Circulating CAFs (cCAFs) were isolated from the peripheral blood of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients using CD45 depletion and detected by FAP expression using RT-qPCR. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were detected through the expression of epithelial markers (EPCAM, EGFR, and MET). We analyzed the association between cCAF positivity and clinical factors, CTC characteristics, and verified tumor tissue relationships using public datasets.
Results:
Of the 97 patients, 19.6% were positive for cCAFs and 61.9% for CTCs. cCAF positivity was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, CTC positivity, and lower EPCAM levels on CTCs. In tumor tissues, FAP expression inversely correlated with EPCAM expression in tumor cells.
Conclusion:
cCAFs may contribute to the survival of CTCs and tumor progression through changes in the characteristics of CTCs.
