title: Improving pancreatic cancer diagnosis using circulating tumor cells: prospects for staging and single-cell analysis.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the USA, primarily due to late presentation coupled with an aggressive biology. The lack of adequate biomarkers for diagnosis and staging confound clinical decision-making and delay potentially effective therapies. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a promising new biomarker in PC. Preliminary studies have demonstrated their potential clinical utility, and newer CTC isolation platforms have the potential to provide clinicians access to tumor tissue in a reliable, real-time manner. Such a 'liquid biopsy' has been demonstrated in several cancers, and small studies have demonstrated its potential applications in PC. This article reviews the available literature on CTCs as a biomarker in PC and presents the latest innovations in CTC research as well as their potential applications in PC.
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Surgery, University of California , Los Angeles, USA.|b 2 VA Greater, Healthcare System , Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Colin M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Court
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Surgery, University of California , Los Angeles, USA.|b 2 VA Greater, Healthcare System , Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Jacob S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ankeny
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Surgery, University of California , Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: c 3 Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California , Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Hsian-Rong
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Surgery, University of California , Los Angeles, USA.|b 2 VA Greater, Healthcare System , Los Angeles, USA.|d 4 Center for Pancreatic Diseases, University of California , Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: biomarker; circulating tumor cells; diagnosis; liquid biopsy; pancreatic cancer; personalized medicine; precision medicine; single cell sequencing; staging