Enumeration and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization.

ABSTRACT: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and particularly circulating cancer stem cells (cCSC), are prognostic biomarkers for different malignancies and may be detected using liquid biopsies. The ex vivo culture of cCSCs would provide valuable information regarding biological aggressiveness and would allow monitoring the adaptive changes acquired by the tumor in real time. In this prospective pilot study, we analyzed the presence of EpCAM⁺ CTCs using the IsoFlux system in the peripheral blood of 37 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). The average patient age was 63.5 ± 7.9 years and 91.9% of the patients were men. All patients had detectable CTCs at baseline and 20 patients (54.1%) showed CTC aggregates or clusters in their peripheral

SUBMITTER: Espejo-Cruz ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9916725 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature