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Characterization of Tumor Cells Using a Medical Wire for Capturing Circulating Tumor Cells: A 3D Approach Based on Immunofluorescence and DNA FISH

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are associated with poor survival in metastatic cancer. Their identification, phenotyping, and genotyping could lead to a ...

Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS

Until now detection and numeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were essentially used as a prognostic factor in cancer progression. To extend the role of these kinds of analysis, it seems necessary to improve analytical methods related to isolation and characterization of CTCs. Discrepancies between published results corroborates this requirement. In this review we suggest a combination of markers able to reach the goal. Moreover to improve the clinical utility of CTC analysis, particularly in the therapeutic follow up of the disease, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) level of a global CTC population should be studied.

Circulating tumor cells and epithelial, mesenchymal and stemness markers: characterization of cell subpopulations.

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a physiological process necessary to normal embryologic development. However in genesis of pathological situations, this transition can be perverted and signaling pathways have different regulations from those of normal physiology. In cancer invasion, such a mechanism leads to generation of circulating tumor cells. Epithelial cancer cells become motile mesenchymal cells able to shed from the primary tumor and enter in the blood circulation. This is the major part of the invasive way of cancer. EMT is also implicated in chronic diseases like fibrosis and particularly renal fibrosis. In adult organisms, healing is based on EMT which is beneficial to repair wounds even if it can sometimes exceed its goal and elicit fibrosis. In this review, we delineate the clinical significance of EMT in both physiological and pathological circumstances.

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition: a double-edged sword.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are elements of indisputable significance as they seem to be responsible for the onset of metastasis. Despite this, research into CTCs and their clinical application have been hindered by their rarity and heterogeneity at the molecular and cellular level, and also by a lack of technical standardization. Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a highly aggressive cancer that is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Its incidence has increased so much in recent years that new diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers are urgently needed. Preliminary findings suggest that CTCs could represent an effective, non-invasive, real-time assessable biomarker in all stages of EAC. This review provides an overview of EAC and CTC characteristics and reports the main research results obtained on CTCs in this setting. The need to carry out further basic and translational research in this area to confirm the clinical usefulness of CTCs and to provide oncologists with a tool to improve therapeutic strategies for EAC patients was herein highlighted.

Circulating Tumor Cells in the Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been shown to be associated with tumor progression and metastasis. During this process in breast cancer, a crucial role is played by alternative splicing systems. To identify a new early prognostic marker of metastasis, we evaluated EMT-related gene expression in breast cell lines, and in primary tumor tissue from 31 patients with early breast cancer, focusing our attention on EMT-related splicing factors ESRP1, ESRP2 and RBFOX2. Results showed that the expression patterns of these genes were indicative of the onset of EMT in in-vitro models, but not in tissue samples. However, the ratio between ESRP1 or ESRP2 and RBFOX2 significantly decreased during EMT and positively correlated with the EMT-specific phenotype in cell models, representing a promising prognostic markers. Low ESRP1/RBFOX2 ratio value was associated with a higher risk of metastasis (p < 0.005) in early breast cancer patients, regardless other clinical features. A cut-off of ratio of 1.067 was determined by ROC curve analysis (AUC 0.8375; 95% CI 0.6963-0.9787). Our study show evidence that a decrease in this ratio correlates with cancer progression. The results provide a rationale for using ESRP1/RBFOX2 ratio as a new prognostic biomarker for the early prediction of metastatic potential in breast cancer.

Splicing factor ratio as an index of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor aggressiveness in breast cancer.

Circulating Tumor Cells: Back to the Future.

We investigated the correlation between ploidy or S-phase fraction (SPF) and the clinical pathological characteristics of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer. We also assessed their relation with the in vivo and in vitro response to several chemotherapeutic agents.

DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction analysis in peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer: correlation with clinical pathological factors and response to chemotherapy.

Giulia Gallerani

Biosciences Laboratory

Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS

Characterization of Tumor Cells Using a Medical Wire for Capturing Circulating Tumor Cells: A 3D Approach Based on Immunofluorescence and DNA FISH

Giulia Gallerani

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Biosciences Laboratory

Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS

Characterization of Tumor Cells Using a Medical Wire for Capturing Circulating Tumor Cells: A 3D Approach Based on Immunofluorescence and DNA FISH

Biosciences Laboratory