Circulating tumor cell markers for early detection and drug resistance assessment through liquid biopsy.

ABSTRACT: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancerous cells that extravasate from the primary tumor or metastatic foci and travel through the bloodstream to distant organs. CTCs provide crucial insights into cancer metastasis, the evolution of tumor genotypes during treatment, and the development of chemo- and/or radio-resistance during disease progression. The process of Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a key role in CTCs formation, as this process enhances cell's migration properties and is often associated with increased invasiveness thereby leading to chemotherapy resistance. During the EMT process, tumor cells lose epithelial markers like EpCAM and acquire mesenchymal markers such as vimentin driven by transcription factors like Snail and Twist. CTCs are typically identified us

SUBMITTER: Yadav P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12009936 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature