title: A direct comparison of CellSearch and ISET for circulating tumour-cell detection in patients with metastatic carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) can provide information on patient prognosis and treatment efficacy. However, there is no universal method to detect CTC currently available. Here, we compared the performance of two CTC detection systems based on the expression of the EpCAM antigen (CellSearch assay) or on cell size (ISET assay).
  
  
  METHODS
  Circulating tumour cells were enumerated in 60 patients with metastatic carcinomas of breast, prostate and lung origins using CellSearch according to the manufacturer's protocol and ISET by studying cytomorphology and immunolabelling with anti-cytokeratin or lineage-specific antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concordant results were obtained in 55% (11 out of 20) of the patients with breast cancer, in 60% (12 out of 20) of the patients with prostate cancer and in only 20% (4 out of 20) of lung cancer patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results highlight important discrepancies between the numbers of CTC enumerated by both techniques. These differences depend mostly on the tumour type. These results suggest that technologies limiting CTC capture to EpCAM-positive cells, may present important limitations, especially in patients with metastatic lung carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Laboratory, Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy, 94805 Villejuif, France. farace@gr.fr
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farace
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Massard
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vimond
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Drusch
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jacques
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Billiot
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laplanche
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chauchereau
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Planchard
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Le Moulec
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fizazi
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soria
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vielh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods*; D048429:Cell Size; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule