Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have attracted pretty much attention from scientists because of their important relationship with the process of metastasis. Here, we developed a size-based microfluidic chip containing triangular pillar array and filter channel array for detecting single CTCs and CTC clusters independent of tumor-specific markers. The cell populations in chip were characterized by immune-fluorescent staining combining an epithelial marker and a mesenchymal marker. We largely decreased the whole time of detection process to nearly 1.5h with this microfluidic device. The CTCs were subsequently measured in 77 patients with lung cancer and 39 healthy persons. The microfluidic device allowed for the detection of CTCs with apparent high sensitivity and specificity (82.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity). Furthermore, the total CTC counts were found to be elevated in advanced patients with metastases when compared with those without (20.89±14.57 vs 8.428±5.858 cells/mL blood; P<0.01). Combined epithelial marker and mesenchymal marker analysis of CTCs could provide more information about metastasis in patients than only usage of epithelial marker. In conclusion, the development of the size-based microfluidic device for efficient capture of CTCs will enable detailed characterization of their biological properties and values in cancer diagnosis.
Highlights
Lung cancer is among the most common and deadly cancers worldwide
Circulating tumor cells(CTCs) are tumor cells turning into blood circulation system, which are critical for metastasis [3]
CTCs have gained much attention in the field of cancer research serving as a functional biomarker and as a potential tool in the study of metastasis
Summary
Lung cancer is among the most common and deadly cancers worldwide. Metastatic disease results in a large number of cancer related deaths. Most of lung cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, and some with early stage disease have high recurrence rates [1]. Circulating tumor cells(CTCs) are tumor cells turning into blood circulation system, which are critical for metastasis [3]. It reported that CTC counts have a correlation with prognosis and progress of many metastatic diseases, such as breast, colon, prostate and lung cancers [4,5,6,7]. Quantification and characterization of CTCs can provide important clinical information for patients with metastatic cancer, thereby offering potential to design effective and individualized cancer therapies
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