title: Circulating tumor cells in prostate cancer.
abstract: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can provide a non-invasive, repeatable snapshot of an individual patient's tumor. In prostate cancer, CTC enumeration has been extensively studied and validated as a prognostic tool and has received FDA clearance for use in monitoring advanced disease. More recently, CTC analysis has been shifting from enumeration to more sophisticated molecular characterization of captured cells, which serve as a "liquid biopsy" of the tumor, reflecting molecular changes in an individual's malignancy over time. Here we will review the main CTC studies in advanced and localized prostate cancer, highlighting the important gains as well as the challenges posed by various approaches, and their implications for advancing prostate cancer management.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Urology, University of Southern California, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Suite 7416, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. agoldkor@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rochefort
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldkorn