title: Identification and Quantitation of Circulating Tumor Cells.
abstract: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from the primary tumor into the circulatory system and act as seeds that initiate cancer metastasis to distant sites. CTC enumeration has been shown to have a significant prognostic value as a surrogate marker in various cancers. The widespread clinical utility of CTC tests, however, is still limited due to the inherent rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs, which necessitate robust techniques for their efficient enrichment and detection. Significant recent advances have resulted in technologies with the ability to improve yield and purity of CTC enrichment as well as detection sensitivity. Current efforts are largely focused on the translation and standardization of assays to fully realize the clinical utility of CTCs. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of CTC enrichment and detection techniques with an emphasis on novel approaches for rapid quantification of CTCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, DJTMF Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.
authors.forename: Siddarth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rawal
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, DJTMF Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.|Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.
authors.forename: Yu-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, DJTMF Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.|Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cote
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, DJTMF Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146; email: a.agarwal2@miami.edu.
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: CTC isolation; biosensors; live-cell capture; microfluidics; nanotechnology; precision medicine