Guo Yan-Xiu, Neoh Kuang Hong, Chang Xiao-Hong, Sun Yukun, Cheng Hong-Yan, Ye Xue, Ma Rui-Qiong, Han Ray P S, Cui Heng
Center of Gynecologic Oncology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Oncotarget. 2018 Jan 4;9(7):7522-7533. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.23943. eCollection 2018 Jan 26.
Lacking a satisfactory screening test, ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed at a late stage, leading to poor patient outcomes. This study investigated the diagnostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood from patients with suspected ovarian tumors. Sixty-one women suspected of having an ovarian mass were prospectively enrolled in this study. CTCs were identified and counted using microfluidic isolation and immunofluorescent staining of CD45, HE4, and epithelial and mesenchymal (E&M) markers (epithelial cell adhesion molecule, cytokeratins, and vimentin). Thirty (49%) of the patients were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. DAPI+/E&M+/CD45-/HE4+ CTC counts were higher in these patients than in patients with benign tumors ( = 0.016). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the sensitivity of CTCs was 73.3%, which was superior to that of CA125 (56.7%). In patients with elevated CA125 levels (≥35 U/ml), CTC counts still showed good specificity (86.7%). Our findings suggest the DAPI+/E&M+/CD45-/HE4+ CTC count is a useful diagnostic indicator in patients with suspected ovarian cancer.
由于缺乏令人满意的筛查试验，卵巢癌常常在晚期才被诊断出来，导致患者预后不佳。本研究调查了疑似卵巢肿瘤患者外周血中循环肿瘤细胞（CTC）的诊断价值。61名疑似患有卵巢肿块的女性被前瞻性纳入本研究。使用微流控分离以及对CD45、HE4和上皮与间充质（E&M）标志物（上皮细胞粘附分子、细胞角蛋白和波形蛋白）进行免疫荧光染色来识别和计数CTC。30名（49%）患者被诊断为卵巢癌。这些患者的DAPI+/E&M+/CD45-/HE4+ CTC计数高于良性肿瘤患者（ = 0.016）。受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线显示，CTC的敏感性为73.3%，优于CA125（56.7%）。在CA125水平升高（≥35 U/ml）的患者中，CTC计数仍显示出良好的特异性（86.7%）。我们的研究结果表明，DAPI+/E&M+/CD45-/HE4+ CTC计数是疑似卵巢癌患者的一种有用诊断指标。
