Early dissemination and prognostic value of circulating tumor cells in ductal carcinoma in situ
Widespread mammographic screening has resulted in a substantial increase in women diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). To improve patient risk stratification, we investigate the prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a biomarker for DCIS patients' biological aggressiveness and as an indicator of early dissemination. Six enriched blood samples and six matching FFPE tissue samples are processed via single cell RNA sequencing. Overall design: Blood samples are processed via a microfluidic device (the Labyrinth) to enrich CTCs. To meet 10X Genomics' minimum cell number requirement for sequencing, some white blood cells are supplemented into the initial sample. Hence, these data include six CTC enriched blood samples. In conjunction, FFPE tissues acquired from the same six patients are also processed for single cell RNA sequencing.