title: Comparison of select cancer biomarkers in human circulating and bulk tumor cells using magnetic nanoparticles and a miniaturized micro-NMR system.
abstract: Circulating tumor cells (CTC) harvested from peripheral blood have received significant interest as sources for serial sampling to gauge treatment efficacy. Nanotechnology and microfluidic based approaches are emerging to facilitate such analyses. While of considerable clinical importance, there is little information on how similar or different CTCs are from their shedding bulk tumors. In this clinical study, paired tumor fine needle aspirate and peripheral blood samples were obtained from cancer patients during image-guided biopsy. Using targeted magnetic nanoparticles and a point-of-care micro-NMR system, we compared selected biomarkers (EpCAM, EGFR, HER-2 and vimentin) in both CTC and fine needle biopsies of solid epithelial cancers. We show a weak correlation between each paired sample, suggesting that use of CTC as "liquid biopsies" and proxies to metastatic solid lesions could be misleading.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In this clinical study, paired tumor fine needle aspirate and peripheral blood samples were obtained from patients with solid epithelial cancers during image-guided biopsy. Using targeted magnetic nanoparticles and a point-of-care micro-NMR system, the authors compared selected biomarkers in both circulating tumor cells (CTC) and fine needle biopsies, demonstrating a weak correlation between each paired sample, suggesting that use of CTC could be misleading in this context.
authors.affiliation: Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Arezou A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ghazani
authors.forename: Shaunagh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Melina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pectasides
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sebas
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mino-Kenudson
authors.forename: Hakho
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weissleder
authors.forename: Cesar M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008904:Miniaturization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles
keywords: Circulating tumor cells; Magnetic nanoparticles; Micro-NMR (μNMR); Point-of-care diagnostics