MRNA expression profiles in circulating tumor cells of metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a promising tool for the repeated and non-invasive evaluation of predictive and prognostic factors. Challenges associated with CTC characterization using the only FDA approved method for CTC enumeration, the CellSearch technique, include the presence of an excess of leukocytes in CTC-enriched blood fractions. Here we aimed to identify colorectal tumor-specific gene expression levels in the blood of patients with and without detectable CTCs according to CellSearch criteria.

Materials and methods

Blood of 30 healthy donors (HDs) and 142 metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients was subjected to CellSearch CTC enumeration and isolation. In all samples, 95 mRNAs were measured by reverse transcrip

SUBMITTER: Mostert B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5528769 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature