Association between circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and tumor relapse and metastasis

Abstract

Objective To explore the association between the number and classification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood with clinicopathological characteristics, relapse and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods Fifty-one patients who accepted surgical resection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and CTCs detection between 2013-2015 were retrospectively included in the study. The association between the number and classification of CTCs and age, sex, differentiation degree, T stage, N stage, location, tumor relapse and metastasis was analyzed. Results CTCs in peripheral blood were detected in 68.6% of patients (35/51). The detection rate of epithelial CTCs, biophenotypic epithelial/mesenchymal CTCs, and mesenchymal CTCs was 56.9% (29/51), 66.7% (34/51) and 49.0% (25/51) respectively. CTCs (+ ) patients had shorter disease-free survival (10.8 months) than CTCs (-) patients (14.9 months, χ2=6.981, P=0.000). In 35 CTCs (+ ) patients, the 25 mesenchymal CTCs (+ ) patients had shorter disease-free survival (9.5 months) than other patients (12.0 months, χ2=2.127, P=0.007). Conclusion The number of CTCs in the peropheral blood of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is an important potential marker of disease-free survival, and the CTCs (+ ) patients are at higher risk of replapse and metastasis. Key words: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; Circulating tumor cells; Relapse; Metastasis