Relevance of circulating hybrid cells as a non-invasive biomarker for myriad solid tumors.

ABSTRACT: Metastatic progression defines the final stages of tumor evolution and underlies the majority of cancer-related deaths. The heterogeneity in disseminated tumor cell populations capable of seeding and growing in distant organ sites contributes to the development of treatment resistant disease. We recently reported the identification of a novel tumor-derived cell population, circulating hybrid cells (CHCs), harboring attributes from both macrophages and neoplastic cells, including functional characteristics important to metastatic spread. These disseminated hybrids outnumber conventionally defined circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients. It is unknown if CHCs represent a generalized cancer mechanism for cell dissemination, or if this population is relevant to the metastatic cascade

SUBMITTER: Dietz MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8249418 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature