Circulating tumor cells and the metastatic process: the complexity of malignancy

Abstract

Despite improvements achieved in terms of early detection and therapeutic approach, metastatic breast cancer remains one of the principal worldwide causes of death. In recent years, due to the heterogeneous response of each patient to chemotherapy, clinical research highlights the need of a personalized approach. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represents a promising tool for this purpose. Unfortunately, even if their correlation with severity, outcome and metastatic nature of the tumor has been established, several issues, mainly concerning their characterization and isolation, need to be solved. In this review, latest knowledge on CTCs and metastatic process in breast cancer were analyzed, aiming to understand their clinical utility and validity for a prospective therapeutic scenario.

Light-Induced Therapies for Prostate Cancer Treatment

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“…Metastasis is a multi-step process that includes the degradation and the detachment from the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the primary site, the invasion of vascular and lymphatic vessels, and the formation of secondary tumors in remote sites [1][2][3]. Among these events, the detachment from the ECM and the survival within the circulation in the absence of cell-cell and cell-ECM stimuli are crucial factors determining metastatic outcome [4,5].…”

Circulating tumor cells in oncology

“…В процессе метастазирования раковые клетки распространяются из первичной опухоли, внедряются в ткани и образуют новую опухоль в другой локализации. Поэтому процессы метастазирования сопровождаются появлением ЦОК в периферической крови, которые выявляются как единичные клетки или кластерные клеточные образования [2]. О наличии ЦОК в периферической крови впервые сообщил австралийский врач Т. Эшворт в 1869 г. при изучении материала, полученного при вскрытии пациента с метастатическими подкожными опухолевыми очагами, расположенными в передней стенке грудной клетки и брюшной полости [3].…”