Comparative analysis of EpCAM high-expressing and low-expressing circulating tumour cells with regard to their clonal relationship and clinical value.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are mainly enriched based on the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). Although it was shown that an EpCAM low-expressing CTC fraction is not captured by such approaches, knowledge about its prognostic and predictive relevance and its relation to EpCAM-positive CTCs is lacking.

Methods

We developed an immunomagnetic assay to enrich CTCs from metastatic breast cancer patients EpCAM independently using antibodies against Trop-2 and CD-49f and characterised their EpCAM expression. DNA of single EpCAM high expressing and low expressing CTCs was analyzed regarding chromosomal aberrations and predictive mutations. Additionally, we compared CTC-enrichment on the CellSearch system using this antibody mix and the EpCAM based enrichment.

SUBMITTER: Franken A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10133238 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature