title: Emerging applications of flow cytometry in solid tumor biology.
abstract: Despite considerable interest during the early clinical development of flow cytometry, its application to solid tumours has been largely ignored in recent years. However, with rapid progress in cancer biology and molecular therapeutics, linked to technical developments in the areas of flow cytometry instrumentation, reagents, and data analysis, it is timely to re-evaluate this role. This article places emphasis on the unique potential of flow cytometry to analyze heterogeneous cell populations, and to provide information on the functional status of regulatory processes by the simultaneous measurement of multiple key elements. Major obstacles to progress addressed include the acquisition of adequate clinical samples, tissue disaggregation to produce single cells suspensions suitable for flow cytometry, and protocols to label intracellular as well as cell surface antigens.
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Ontario Cancer Institute and Princess Margaret Hospital, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2M9.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hedley
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005404:Fixatives; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D005404:Fixatives; D007633:Keratins