Li Xue-Yao, Dong Man, Zang Xiang-Yang, Li Miao-Ya, Zhou Jing-Yi, Ma Jian-Jun, Wang Gang-Yang
Human Anatomy Laboratory, School of Basic Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University Xinxiang 453003, Henan, China.
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University Xinxiang 453003, Henan, China.
Am J Transl Res. 2020 Feb 15;12(2):332-342. eCollection 2020.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that are shed from the primary tumor and circulate in the blood, and their metastasis and formation of a secondary tumor are closely associated with cancer-related death. Therefore, regulating tumor metastasis through CTCs can be a novel strategy to fight cancer. It has been demonstrated that CTCs can reflect the profile of the primary tumor and provide valuable information about intratumoral heterogeneity and their evolution over time. Moreover, the revelation of the relationship between metastasis and CTCs suggests that CTC regulation represents a promising novel anticancer strategy. Above all, at the molecular level, genetic analysis might be vital in the new era of gene-targeted cancer therapies and contribute to personalized anti-metastasis tumor treatments. In this review, we will focus on the biological significance of CTCs in the peripheral blood and discuss their potential clinical implications in cancer management.
循环肿瘤细胞（CTCs）是从原发性肿瘤脱落并在血液中循环的细胞，它们的转移和继发性肿瘤的形成与癌症相关死亡密切相关。因此，通过循环肿瘤细胞调节肿瘤转移可能是一种对抗癌症的新策略。已经证明，循环肿瘤细胞可以反映原发性肿瘤的特征，并提供有关肿瘤内异质性及其随时间演变的有价值信息。此外，转移与循环肿瘤细胞之间关系的揭示表明，循环肿瘤细胞调节是一种有前途的新型抗癌策略。最重要的是，在分子水平上，基因分析在基因靶向癌症治疗的新时代可能至关重要，并有助于个性化的抗转移肿瘤治疗。在这篇综述中，我们将重点关注外周血中循环肿瘤细胞的生物学意义，并讨论它们在癌症管理中的潜在临床意义。
