Lowe Alarice C
Cytology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, MRB 308, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Surg Pathol Clin. 2018 Sep;11(3):679-686. doi: 10.1016/j.path.2018.04.008.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are rare tumor cells found in the blood of patients with cancer that can be reliably detected by CTC technologies to provide prognostic, predictive, and diagnostic information. CTC sampling reflects intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity better than targeted biopsy. CTC samples are minimally invasive and amenable to repeated sampling, allowing real-time evaluation of tumor in response to therapy-related pressures and possibly early detection. Cytology is the most natural arena for integration of CTC testing. CTC technology may also be deployed to enhance and facilitate the practice of cytology and surgical pathology.
循环肿瘤细胞（CTCs）是在癌症患者血液中发现的罕见肿瘤细胞，可通过CTCs技术可靠检测，以提供预后、预测和诊断信息。与靶向活检相比，CTCs采样能更好地反映肿瘤内和肿瘤间的异质性。CTCs样本微创且适合重复采样，可实时评估肿瘤对治疗相关压力的反应，并可能实现早期检测。细胞学是整合CTCs检测最自然的领域。CTCs技术还可用于加强和促进细胞学及外科病理学的实践。
