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Circulating Tumor Cells: High-Throughput Imaging of CTCs and Bioinformatic Analysis

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Tumor Liquid Biopsies

Part of the book series: Recent Results in Cancer Research ((RECENTCANCER,volume 215))

Abstract

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represent novel biomarkers, since they are obtainable through a simple and noninvasive blood draw or liquid biopsy. Here, we review the high-definition single-cell analysis (HD-SCA) workflow, which brings together modern methods of immunofluorescence with more sophisticated image processing to rapidly and accurately detect rare tumor cells among the milieu of platelets, erythrocytes, and leukocytes in the peripheral blood. In particular, we discuss progress in methods to measure CTC morphology and subcellular protein expression, and we highlight some initial applications that lead to fundamental new insights about the hematogenous phase of cancer, as well as its performance in early-stage diagnosis and treatment monitoring. We end with an outlook on how to further probe CTCs and the unique advantages of the HD-SCA workflow for improving the precision of cancer care.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    To promote a physical sciences perspective of cancer, the US National Cancer Institute’s PS-OC Program was launched in 2009—initially a Network of 12 Centers, including the Scripps PS-OC—with the aim of converging traditional cancer biology and oncology with the physical and engineering sciences to bring radical new approaches to cancer research (http://physics.cancer.gov).

  2. 2.

    Some care is needed here, and it is worth noting that CTC classification is under ongoing development and rigorous investigation. Thus, Table 2 is by no means a complete list (!).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Convergent Science Institute in Cancer, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, 1002 W. Childs Way, Los Angeles, 90089-3502, CA, United States

    Kevin Keomanee-Dizon, Stephanie N. Shishido & Peter Kuhn

  2. Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, 1002 W. Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States

    Kevin Keomanee-Dizon & Peter Kuhn

Authors
  1. Kevin Keomanee-Dizon
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  2. Stephanie N. Shishido
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  3. Peter Kuhn
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Correspondence to Peter Kuhn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cancéropôle Est , Strasbourg, France

    Florence Schaffner

  2. Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine, CNRS UMR7039 CRAN, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Jean-Louis Merlin

  3. Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medical Center, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany

    Nikolas von Bubnoff

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Keomanee-Dizon, K., Shishido, S.N., Kuhn, P. (2020). Circulating Tumor Cells: High-Throughput Imaging of CTCs and Bioinformatic Analysis. In: Schaffner, F., Merlin, JL., von Bubnoff, N. (eds) Tumor Liquid Biopsies. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 215. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26439-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26439-0_5

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