title: Stem-like plasticity and heterogeneity of circulating tumor cells: current status and prospect challenges in liver cancer.
abstract: Poor prognosis and high recurrence remain leading causes of primary liver cancer-associated mortality. The spread of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood plays a major role in the initiation of metastasis and tumor recurrence after surgery. Nevertheless, only a subset of CTCs can survive, migrate to distant sites and establish secondary tumors. Consistent with cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis, stem-like CTCs might represent a potential source for cancer relapse and distant metastasis. Thus, identification of stem-like metastasis-initiating CTC-subset may provide useful clinically prognostic information. This review will emphasize the most relevant findings of CTCs in the context of stem-like biology associated to liver carcinogenesis. In this view, the emerging field of stem-like CTCs may deliver substantial contribution in liver cancer field in order to move to personalized approaches for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Correnti
authors.affiliation: Center for Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Raggi
mesh_terms: D000066670:Cell Plasticity; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: cancer stem cells; circulating tumor cells; primary liver cancer