Circulating tumour cells as a predictive factor for response to systemic chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer

• Published in: Molecular oncology 2008-12, Vol.2 (4), p.349-355
• Main Authors: Lankiewicz, Silke, Zimmermann, Silke, Hollmann, Christiane, Hillemann, Tina, Greten, Tim F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antigens; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Binding sites; Blood Cells; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Circulating tumour cells; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Crohn's disease; CTC; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Disease Progression; DNA; EGFR; EGFR variants; Epidermal growth factor; Female; Humans; Inflammatory bowel disease; Kinases; Male; Mutation; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating - pathology; Patients; Predictive Value of Tests; Remission; Remission Induction; Studies; Treatment Failure; Tumors
• ISSN: 1574-7891; 1878-0261
• DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2008.09.001

Circulating tumour cells (CTC) can be traced in patients with different types of cancer. The aim of this study was to detect CTC in patients with advanced colorectal cancer and whether CTC are still detectable after systemic chemotherapy. Blood from 34 patients with advanced colorectal cancer was analysed for the presence of CTC before chemotherapy was given and after 3 months. Eleven patients demonstrated a tumour remission after chemotherapy. In 6 cases CTC were detectable before but not after initiation of chemotherapy. Ten patients demonstrated a progression. In 5 cases CTC were detected before and after chemotherapy. Our data suggest that the detection of CTC will help to identify patients responding to chemotherapy or with a risk of a therapy failure.