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Kahounová Z, Pícková M, Drápela S, Bouchal J, Szczyrbová E, Navrátil J, Souček K. Circulating tumor cell-derived preclinical models: current status and future perspectives. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:530. [PMID: 37591867 PMCID: PMC10435501 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06059-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite the advancements made in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the stages associated with metastasis remain largely incurable and represent the primary cause of cancer-related deaths. The dissemination of cancer is facilitated by circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which originate from the primary tumor or metastatic sites and enter the bloodstream, subsequently spreading to distant parts of the body. CTCs have garnered significant attention in research due to their accessibility in peripheral blood, despite their low abundance. They are being extensively studied to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancer dissemination and to identify effective therapeutic strategies for advanced stages of the disease. Therefore, substantial efforts have been directed towards establishing and characterizing relevant experimental models derived from CTCs, aiming to provide relevant tools for research. In this review, we provide an overview of recent progress in the establishment of preclinical CTC-derived models, such as CTC-derived xenografts (CDX) and cell cultures, which show promise for the study of CTCs. We discuss the advantages and limitations of these models and conclude by summarizing the potential future use of CTCs and CTC-derived models in cancer treatment decisions and their utility as precision medicine tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Kahounová
- Department of Cytokinetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Pícková
- Department of Cytokinetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Drápela
- Department of Cytokinetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jan Bouchal
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University and University Hospital, 779 00, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Szczyrbová
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University and University Hospital, 779 00, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Navrátil
- Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Souček
- Department of Cytokinetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
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De Renzi G, De Marco G, De Meo M, Del Rosso E, Gazzaniga P, Nicolazzo C. In vitro cultures of circulating tumor cells: a potential tool to unravel drug sensitivity. CANCER DRUG RESISTANCE (ALHAMBRA, CALIF.) 2022; 5:245-260. [PMID: 35582538 PMCID: PMC8992597 DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2021.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Since taking part as leading actors in driving the metastatic process, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have displayed a wide range of potential applications in the cancer-related research field. Besides their well-proved prognostic value, the role of CTCs in both predictive and diagnostics terms might be extremely informative about cancer properties and therefore highly helpful in the clinical decision-making process. Unfortunately, CTCs are scarcely released in the blood circulation and their counts vary a lot among different types of cancer, therefore CTC detection and consequent characterization are still highly challenging. In this context, in vitro CTC cultures could potentially offer a great opportunity to expand the number of tumor cells isolated at different stages of the disease and thus simplify the analysis of their biological and molecular features, allowing a deeper comprehension of the nature of neoplastic diseases. The aim of this review is to highlight the main attempts to establish in vitro CTC cultures from patients harboring different tumor types in order to highlight how powerful this practice could be, especially in optimizing the therapeutic strategies available in clinical practice and potentially preventing or contrasting the development of treatment resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluigi De Renzi
- Cancer Liquid Biopsy Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Giulia De Marco
- Cancer Liquid Biopsy Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Michela De Meo
- Cancer Liquid Biopsy Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Eleonora Del Rosso
- Cancer Liquid Biopsy Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Paola Gazzaniga
- Cancer Liquid Biopsy Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Chiara Nicolazzo
- Cancer Liquid Biopsy Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
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3
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De Luca A, Gallo M, Esposito C, Morabito A, Normanno N. Promising Role of Circulating Tumor Cells in the Management of SCLC. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:2029. [PMID: 33922300 PMCID: PMC8122820 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive disease for which few therapeutic options are currently available. Although patients initially respond to therapy, they rapidly relapse. Up to today, no biomarkers for guiding treatment of SCLC patients have been identified. SCLC patients rarely undergo surgery and often the available tissue samples are inadequate for biomarker analysis. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are rare cells in the peripheral blood that might be used as surrogates of tissue samples. Different methodological approaches have been developed for studies of CTCs in SCLC. In addition to CTC count, which might provide prognostic and predictive information, genomic and transcriptomic analyses allow the characterization of molecular profiles of CTCs and permit the study of tumor heterogeneity. The employment of CTC-derived xenografts offers complementary information to genomic analyses and CTC enumeration about the mechanisms involved in the sensitivity/resistance to treatments. Using these approaches, CTC analysis is providing relevant information on SCLC biology that might aid in the development of personalized therapeutic strategies for SCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella De Luca
- Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori—IRCCS—Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (M.G.); (C.E.)
| | - Marianna Gallo
- Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori—IRCCS—Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (M.G.); (C.E.)
| | - Claudia Esposito
- Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori—IRCCS—Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (M.G.); (C.E.)
| | - Alessandro Morabito
- Thoracic Medical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori—IRCCS—Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Nicola Normanno
- Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori—IRCCS—Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (M.G.); (C.E.)
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4
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Galvis MM, Romero CS, Bueno TO, Teng Y. Toward a New Era for the Management of Circulating Tumor Cells. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1286:125-134. [PMID: 33725350 PMCID: PMC8647934 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-55035-6_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are malignant cells separate from primary tumors, which can migrate through the peripheral blood, colonize other tissues, and lead to the formation of metastases. The first description of CTCs dates back to 1869 when Thomas Ashworth recognized malignant cells similar to the ones of the primary tumor in the blood vessels of an autopsied patient with metastatic cancer. Currently, CTCs have been identified in various types of cancer and have been recognized for their clinical value in the prediction of prognosis, diagnosis of minimal residual diseases, assessment of tumor sensitivity to anticancer drugs, and personalization of therapies. However, research about these topics has several limitations, principally the rarity of CTCs in bloodstream and their heterogeneous characteristics, which makes detection and isolation difficult. As a result of these limitations, current studies are focused on improvement of isolation and characterization techniques to achieve better sensitivity in clinical applications. This review covers the methods of CTC isolation and detection and current research progression on CTC in different cancer types. The clinical applications, limitations, and perspectives of CTCs are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisol Miranda Galvis
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.
| | - Celeste Sánchez Romero
- Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Yong Teng
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.
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5
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Church M, Carter L, Blackhall F. Liquid Biopsy in Small Cell Lung Cancer-A Route to Improved Clinical Care? Cells 2020; 9:E2586. [PMID: 33287165 PMCID: PMC7761700 DOI: 10.3390/cells9122586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has a particularly poor prognosis despite the high initial response to first-line systemic therapy, and there is a well-recognised lack of meaningful treatments beyond the second line. A number of reasons have been put forward to explain this, including a lack of common, easily-druggable genetic mutations in SCLC and rarity of high-quality tissue samples due to late presentation. Liquid biopsies, including circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) are increasingly used as surrogates for tumour tissue and have the advantage of being easily obtained serially to inform on the biology of disease progression and acquired chemoresistance, and may provide a pathway to improve care in this notoriously refractory disease. Here we discuss the current evidence behind these liquid biopsy methods in SCLC, and how they could be employed in future clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Church
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; (M.C.); (L.C.)
| | - Louise Carter
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; (M.C.); (L.C.)
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK
| | - Fiona Blackhall
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; (M.C.); (L.C.)
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK
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6
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Pezzuto F, Fortarezza F, Lunardi F, Calabrese F. Are there any theranostic biomarkers in small cell lung carcinoma? J Thorac Dis 2019; 11:S102-S112. [PMID: 30775033 DOI: 10.21037/jtd.2018.12.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), an aggressive lung tumour with a poor prognosis, has a high load of somatic mutations, mainly induced by tobacco carcinogens given the strong association with smoking. Advances in genomic, epigenetic and proteomic profiling have significantly improved our understanding of the molecular and cellular biology of SCLC. Given the high mutational burden of SCLC the immune microenvironment is another exciting area under investigation even if it seems to be quite distinct from that of other solid tumours. In this review we will outline the current progress in molecular etiology of SCLC mentioning some key markers considered promising theranostic biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Pezzuto
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova Medical School, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesco Fortarezza
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova Medical School, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Lunardi
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova Medical School, Padova, Italy
| | - Fiorella Calabrese
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova Medical School, Padova, Italy
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7
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Wang L, Dumenil C, Julié C, Giraud V, Dumoulin J, Labrune S, Chinet T, Emile JF, He B, Giroux Leprieur E. Molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells in lung cancer: moving beyond enumeration. Oncotarget 2017; 8:109818-109835. [PMID: 29312651 PMCID: PMC5752564 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular characterization of tumor cells is a key step in the diagnosis and optimal treatment of lung cancer. However, analysis of tumor samples, often corresponding to small biopsies, can be difficult and does not accurately reflect tumor heterogeneity. Recent studies have shown that isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is feasible in non-small cell lung cancer patients, even at early disease stages. The amount of CTCs corresponds to the metastatic potential of the tumor and to patient prognosis. Moreover, molecular analyses, even at the single-cell level, can be performed on CTCs. This review describes the technologies currently available for detecting and capturing CTCs, the potential for downstream molecular diagnostics, and the clinical applications of CTCs isolated from lung cancer patients as screening, prognostic, and predictive tools. Main limitations of CTCs are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.,Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Coraline Dumenil
- Department of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Oncology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Catherine Julié
- Department of Pathology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.,EA 4340 "Biomarqueurs en Cancérologie et Onco-Hématologie" UVSQ, Paris-Saclay University, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Violaine Giraud
- Department of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Oncology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Jennifer Dumoulin
- Department of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Oncology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Sylvie Labrune
- Department of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Oncology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Thierry Chinet
- Department of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Oncology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.,EA 4340 "Biomarqueurs en Cancérologie et Onco-Hématologie" UVSQ, Paris-Saclay University, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Jean-François Emile
- Department of Pathology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.,EA 4340 "Biomarqueurs en Cancérologie et Onco-Hématologie" UVSQ, Paris-Saclay University, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Biao He
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Etienne Giroux Leprieur
- Department of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Oncology, APHP - Ambroise Pare Hospital, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.,EA 4340 "Biomarqueurs en Cancérologie et Onco-Hématologie" UVSQ, Paris-Saclay University, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
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8
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Hamilton G, Rath B. Circulating tumor cell interactions with macrophages: implications for biology and treatment. Transl Lung Cancer Res 2017; 6:418-430. [PMID: 28904886 DOI: 10.21037/tlcr.2017.07.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer and metastasis are closely associated with inflammation. Macrophages are important effector cells in enhancing tumor proliferation, invasion and providing protection against the immune system. Despite advanced knowledge of tumor-macrophage interactions, the role of macrophages in emergence and invasion of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is not known. A series of six CTC cell lines have been derived from blood of patients with extensive disease small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC) in our lab, most likely representing a homogenous cell population of the actual metastasis-initiating cells (MIC) of CTCs. SCLC has an unfavorable prognosis due to rapid dissemination and early chemoresistant relapses. SCLC CTCs recruit macrophages and elicit secretion of various cytokines and the six CTC lines express chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) in abundance. CHI3L1 is cytokine/growth factor expressed in inflammation and cancer and found to be correlated to metastasis and a dismal prognosis. In conclusion, SCLC CTCs have acquired the essential means for aggressiveness and invasion in a tumor microenvironment specifically shaped by macrophages and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Hamilton
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Rath
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Klameth L, Rath B, Hochmaier M, Moser D, Redl M, Mungenast F, Gelles K, Ulsperger E, Zeillinger R, Hamilton G. Small cell lung cancer: model of circulating tumor cell tumorospheres in chemoresistance. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5337. [PMID: 28706293 PMCID: PMC5509650 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05562-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents 15% of lung cancers and is characterized by early dissemination, development of chemoresistance and a poor prognosis. A host of diverse drugs failed invariably and its mechanisms of global chemoresistance have not been characterized so far. SCLC represents the prototype of an aggressive and highly metastatic tumor which is ultimately refractory to any treatment. High numbers of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) allowed us to establish 5 CTC cell lines (BHGc7, 10, 16, 26 and UHGc5) from patients with recurrent SCLC. These cell lines exhibit the typical SCLC markers and CTCs of all patients developed spontaneously large multicellular aggregates, termed tumorospheres. Ki67 and carbonic anhydrase 9 (CAIX) staining of tumorosphere sections revealed quiescent and hypoxic cells, respectively. Accordingly, comparison of the chemosensitivity of CTC single cell suspensions with tumorospheres demonstrated increased resistance of the clusters against chemotherapeutics commonly used for treatment of SCLC. Therefore, global chemoresistance of relapsing SCLC seems to rely on formation of large tumorospheres which reveal limited accessibility, lower growth fraction and hypoxic conditions. Since similar tumor spheroids were found in other tumor types, SCLC seems to represent a unique tumor model to study the association of CTCs, metastasis and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Klameth
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Rath
- Deparment of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Doris Moser
- Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlene Redl
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Felicitas Mungenast
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Gelles
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Robert Zeillinger
- Department of Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Hamilton
- Deparment of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Trombetta D, Sparaneo A, Fabrizio FP, Muscarella LA. Liquid biopsy and NSCLC. Lung Cancer Manag 2016; 5:91-104. [PMID: 30643553 DOI: 10.2217/lmt-2016-0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the era of high-throughput molecular screening and personalized medicine, difficulty in determining whether cancer mutations are truly 'actionable' remains a gray zone in NSCLC. The most important prerequisite to perform such investigations is the tumor tissue retrieval via biopsy at diagnosis and after occurrence of resistance. Blood-based liquid biopsy as circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA and exosomes can offer a fast and non-invasive method to elucidate the genetic heterogeneity of patients, the screening and patient stratification and give a dynamic surveillance for tumor progression and monitor treatments response. Here we prospectively discuss the three main approaches in the blood-biopsy field of lung cancer patients and its clinical applications in patient management. We also outline some of the analytical challenges that remain for liquid biopsy techniques in demonstrating that it could represent a true and actionable picture in lung cancer management for the implementation into clinical routine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Trombetta
- Laboratory of Oncology, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Angelo Sparaneo
- Laboratory of Oncology, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Federico Pio Fabrizio
- Laboratory of Oncology, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Lucia Anna Muscarella
- Laboratory of Oncology, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
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11
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Hamilton G, Hochmair M, Rath B, Klameth L, Zeillinger R. Small cell lung cancer: Circulating tumor cells of extended stage patients express a mesenchymal-epithelial transition phenotype. Cell Adh Migr 2016; 10:360-7. [PMID: 26919626 DOI: 10.1080/19336918.2016.1155019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is distinguished by aggressive growth, early dissemination and a poor prognosis at advanced stage. The remarkably high count of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of SCLC allowed for the establishment of permanent CTC cultures at our institution for the first time. CTCs are assumed to have characteristics of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, but extravasation of tumors at distal sites is marked by epithelial features. Two SCLC CTC cell lines, namely BHGc7 and BHGc10, as well as SCLC cell lines derived from primary tumors and metastases were analyzed for the expression of pluripotent stem cell markers and growth factors. Expression of E-cadherin and β-Catenin were determined by flow cytometry. Stem cell-associated markers SOX17, α-fetoprotein, OCT-3/4, KDR, Otx2, GATA-4, Nanog, HCG, TP63 and Goosecoid were not expressed in the 2 CTC lines. In contrast, high expression was found for HNF-3β/FOXA2, SOX2, PDX-1/IPF1 and E-cadherin. E-cadherin expression was restricted to the 2 CTCs and 2 cell lines derived from pleural effusion (SCLC26A) and bone metastases (NCI-H526), respectively. Thus, these SCLC CTCs established from extended disease SCLC patients lack expression of stem cell markers which suppress the epithelial phenotype. Instead they express high levels of E-cadherin consistent with a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET or EMrT) and form large tumorospheres possibly in response to the selection pressure of first-line chemotherapy. HNF-3β/FOXA2 and PDX-1/IPF1 expression seem to be related to growth factor dependence on insulin/IGF-1 receptors and IGF-binding proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Hamilton
- a Department of Surgery , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
| | | | - Barbara Rath
- c Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster of Translational Oncology , Vienna , Austria
| | - Lukas Klameth
- c Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster of Translational Oncology , Vienna , Austria.,d Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
| | - Robert Zeillinger
- e Molecular Oncology Group , Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
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