title: Technical challenges in the isolation and analysis of circulating tumor cells.
abstract: Increasing evidence suggests that cancer cells display dynamic molecular changes in response to systemic therapy. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood represent a readily available source of cancer cells with which to measure this dynamic process. To date, a large number of strategies to isolate and characterize CTCs have been described. These techniques, however, each have unique limitations in their ability to sensitively and specifically detect these rare cells. In this review we focus on the technical limitations and pitfalls of the most common CTC isolation and detection strategies. Additionally, we emphasize the difficulties in correctly classifying rare cells as CTCs using common biomarkers. As for assays developed in the future, the first step must be a uniform and clear definition of the criteria for assigning an object as a CTC based on disease-specific biomarkers.
authors: The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Emma E
authors: EE
authors: van der Toom
authors: The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: James E
authors: JE
authors: Verdone
authors: The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Michael A
authors: MA
authors: Gorin
authors: The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Kenneth J
authors: KJ
authors: Pienta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002452:Cell Count; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: CTCs; circulating tumor cells; prostate cancer; rare cell isolation