1
|
Muchlińska A, Wenta R, Ścińska W, Markiewicz A, Suchodolska G, Senkus E, Żaczek AJ, Bednarz-Knoll N. Improved Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in One-Tube Assay in Breast Cancer Patients Using Imaging Flow Cytometry. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4169. [PMID: 37627197 PMCID: PMC10453498 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15164169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating cancer-associated fibroblasts (cCAFs) have been individually considered strong indicators of cancer progression. However, technical limitations have prevented their simultaneous analysis in the context of CTC phenotypes different from epithelial. This study aimed to analyze CTCs and cCAFs simultaneously in the peripheral blood of 210 breast cancer patients using DAPI/pan-keratin (K)/vimentin (V)/alpha-SMA/CD29/CD45/CD31 immunofluorescent staining and novel technology-imaging flow cytometry (imFC). Single and clustered CTCs of different sizes and phenotypes (i.e., epithelial phenotype K+/V- and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related CTCs, such as K+/V+, K-/V+, and K-/V-) were detected in 27.6% of the samples and correlated with metastases. EMT-related CTCs interacted more frequently with normal cells and tended to occur in patients with tumors progressing during therapy, while cCAFs coincided with CTCs (mainly K+/V- and K-/V-) in seven (3.3%) patients and seemed to correlate with the presence of metastases, particularly visceral ones. This study emphasizes the advantages of imFC in the field of liquid biopsy and highlights the importance of multimarker-based analysis of different subpopulations and phenotypes of cancer progression-related cells, i.e., CTCs and cCAFs. The co-detection of CTCs and cCAFs might improve the identification of patients at higher risk of progression and their monitoring during therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Muchlińska
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Robert Wenta
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Wiktoria Ścińska
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Markiewicz
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Grażyna Suchodolska
- Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Senkus
- Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Anna J. Żaczek
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Natalia Bednarz-Knoll
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Couto-Cunha A, Jerónimo C, Henrique R. Circulating Tumor Cells as Biomarkers for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Ready for Prime Time? Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010287. [PMID: 36612281 PMCID: PMC9818240 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is among the 15 most common cancers worldwide, with rising incidence. In most cases, this is a silent disease until it reaches advance stages, demanding new effective biomarkers in all domains, from detection to post-therapy monitoring. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) have the potential to provide minimally invasive information to guide assessment of the disease's aggressiveness and therapeutic strategy, representing a special pool of neoplastic cells which bear metastatic potential. In some tumor models, CTCs' enumeration has been associated with prognosis, but there is a largely unexplored potential for clinical applicability encompassing screening, diagnosis, early detection of metastases, prognosis, response to therapy and monitoring. Nonetheless, lack of standardization and high cost hinder the translation into clinical practice. Thus, new methods for collection and analysis (genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic and metabolomic) are needed to ascertain the role of CTC as a RCC biomarker. Herein, we provide a critical overview of the most recently published data on the role and clinical potential of CTCs in RCC, addressing their biology and the molecular characterization of this remarkable set of tumor cells. Furthermore, we highlight the existing and emerging techniques for CTC enrichment and detection, exploring clinical applications in RCC. Notwithstanding the notable progress in recent years, the use of CTCs in a routine clinical scenario of RCC patients requires further research and technological development, enabling multimodal analysis to take advantage of the wealth of information they provide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anabela Couto-Cunha
- Integrated Master in Medicine, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Carmen Jerónimo
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology & Cancer Biology & Epigenetics Group—Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP)/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO-Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca (P.CCC Raquel Seruca), Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui Henrique
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology & Cancer Biology & Epigenetics Group—Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP)/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO-Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca (P.CCC Raquel Seruca), Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: or
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mack M, Broche J, George S, Hajjari Z, Janke F, Ranganathan L, Ashouri M, Bleul S, Desuki A, Engels C, Fliedner SM, Hartmann N, Hummel M, Janning M, Kiel A, Köhler T, Koschade S, Lablans M, Lambarki M, Loges S, Lueong S, Meyer S, Ossowski S, Scherer F, Schroeder C, Skowronek P, Thiede C, Uhl B, Vehreschild JJ, von Bubnoff N, Wagner S, Werner TV, Westphalen CB, Fresser P, Sültmann H, Tinhofer I, Winter C. The DKTK EXLIQUID consortium – exploiting liquid biopsies to advance cancer precision medicine for molecular tumor board patients. J LAB MED 2022. [DOI: 10.1515/labmed-2022-0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Testing for genetic alterations in tumor tissue allows clinicians to identify patients who most likely will benefit from molecular targeted treatment. EXLIQUID – exploiting liquid biopsies to advance cancer precision medicine – investigates the potential of additional non-invasive tools for guiding therapy decisions and monitoring of advanced cancer patients. The term “liquid biopsy” (LB) refers to non-invasive analysis of tumor-derived circulating material such as cell-free DNA in blood samples from cancer patients. Although recent technological advances allow sensitive and specific detection of LB biomarkers, only few LB assays have entered clinical routine to date. EXLIQUID is a German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)-wide joint funding project that aims at establishing LBs as a minimally-invasive tool to analyze molecular changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Here, we present the structure, clinical aim, and methodical approach of the new DKTK EXLIQUID consortium. Within EXLIQUID, we will set up a multicenter repository of high-quality LB samples from patients participating in DKTK MASTER and local molecular tumor boards, which use molecular profiles of tumor tissues to guide targeted therapies. We will develop LB assays for monitoring of therapy efficacy by the analysis of tumor mutant variants and tumor-specific DNA methylation patterns in ctDNA from these patients. By bringing together LB experts from all DKTK partner sites and exploiting the diversity of their particular expertise, complementary skills and technologies, the EXLIQUID consortium addresses the challenges of translating LBs into the clinic. The DKTK structure provides EXLIQUID a unique position for the identification of liquid biomarkers even in less common tumor types, thereby extending the group of patients benefitting from non-invasive LB testing. Besides its scientific aims, EXLIQUID is building a valuable precision oncology cohort and LB platform which will be available for future collaborative research studies within the DKTK and beyond.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Mack
- School of Medicine , Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Julian Broche
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Stephen George
- Department of Radiooncology and Radiotherapy , Charité University Hospital Berlin , Berlin , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Zahra Hajjari
- West German Cancer Center , Bridge Institute of Experimental Tumor Therapy, University Hospital Essen , Essen , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Florian Janke
- Division of Cancer Genome Research , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) , Heidelberg , Germay
| | - Lavanya Ranganathan
- Department of Medicine I , Medical Center – University of Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Mohammadreza Ashouri
- School of Medicine , Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Sabine Bleul
- Department of Medicine I , Medical Center – University of Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Alexander Desuki
- University Cancer Center (UCT), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz , Mainz , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Cecilia Engels
- Charité University Hospital Berlin , Berlin , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Stephanie M.J. Fliedner
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein , Kiel/Lübeck , Germany
| | - Nils Hartmann
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center JGU Mainz , Mainz , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Michael Hummel
- Charité University Hospital Berlin , Berlin , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Melanie Janning
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- Division of Personalized Medical Oncology (A420) , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
- Department of Personalized Oncology, Medical Faculty Mannheim , University Hospital Mannheim, University of Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany
| | - Alexander Kiel
- Complex Data Processing in Medical Informatics , University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK); and Federated Information Systems , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Thomas Köhler
- Complex Data Processing in Medical Informatics , University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK); and Federated Information Systems , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Sebastian Koschade
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology , Goethe University , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Martin Lablans
- Complex Data Processing in Medical Informatics , University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK); and Federated Information Systems , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Mohamed Lambarki
- Complex Data Processing in Medical Informatics , University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK); and Federated Information Systems , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Sonja Loges
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- Division of Personalized Medical Oncology (A420) , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
- Department of Personalized Oncology, Medical Faculty Mannheim , University Hospital Mannheim, University of Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany
| | - Smiths Lueong
- West German Cancer Center , Bridge Institute of Experimental Tumor Therapy, University Hospital Essen , Essen , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Sandra Meyer
- University Hospital Frankfurt , Frankfurt , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Stephan Ossowski
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Florian Scherer
- Department of Medicine I , Medical Center – University of Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Christopher Schroeder
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Patrick Skowronek
- Complex Data Processing in Medical Informatics , University Medical Center Mannheim , Mannheim , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK); and Federated Information Systems , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Christian Thiede
- Department of Medicine I , University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus , Dresden , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Barbara Uhl
- University Hospital Frankfurt , Frankfurt , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Jörg Janne Vehreschild
- University Hospital Frankfurt , Frankfurt , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Nikolas von Bubnoff
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein , Kiel/Lübeck , Germany
| | - Sebastian Wagner
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology , Goethe University , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Tamara V. Werner
- Medical Center, Medical Faculty , Institute for Surgical Pathology, University of Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - C. Benedikt Westphalen
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich & Department of Medicine III , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , Munich , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Patrizia Fresser
- School of Medicine , Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Holger Sültmann
- Division of Cancer Genome Research , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) , Heidelberg , Germay
| | - Ingeborg Tinhofer
- Department of Radiooncology and Radiotherapy , Charité University Hospital Berlin , Berlin , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Christof Winter
- School of Medicine , Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg , Germany
| |
Collapse
|