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Circulating Tumor Cells pp 215–231Cite as

Perspectives on the Functional Characterization and In Vitro Maintenance of Circulating Tumor Cells

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Part of the book series: Current Cancer Research ((CUCR))

Abstract

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that detach and migrate from primary tumors are implicated in the metastatic spread of cancer. The identification of CTCs in peripheral blood samples has been associated with poor survival outcomes in various cancer types. As a readily accessible source of tumor tissue there is a vast potential to develop CTCs as a biomarker to advance cancer diagnosis, prognosis and the development of novel and targeted therapies. The fact that CTCs occur as extremely rare events in whole blood presents a technical challenge for characterization, requiring enrichment techniques that are both highly sensitive and sufficiently specific. The culture and expansion of CTCs is desirable as a means of yielding a population suitable for comprehensive functional characterization and drug testing. Reports of successful in vitro culture of CTCs are rare, but various approaches have been attempted and significant progress has been made. The development of protocols for reliable and efficient culture of viable CTCs will advance our biological understanding of cancer metastasis and facilitate the development of personalized therapies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago - Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60647, USA

    Anthony Williams Ph.D.

  2. Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Anthony Williams Ph.D.

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2800, USA

    Ramdane Harouaka Ph.D.

  4. Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Research Institute and Micro & Nano Integrated Biosystem (MINIBio) Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Siyang Zheng Ph.D.

  5. Departments of Oncology, Pathology and Preclinical Imaging Research Laboratory, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

    Chris Albanese Ph.D.

  6. Departments of Oncology and Pathology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Richard Schlegel M.D., Ph.D.

  7. Department of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    Yu-Chong Tai Ph.D.

  8. Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Ram H. Datar M. Phil., Ph.D.

  9. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Ram H. Datar M. Phil., Ph.D.

  10. The Dr. John T. MacDonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Ram H. Datar M. Phil., Ph.D.

  11. Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 1120 NW 14th Street, Suite #1416, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Richard J. Cote M.D., F.R.C.Path., F.C.A.P.

  12. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Richard J. Cote M.D., F.R.C.Path., F.C.A.P.

  13. Department of Pathology, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Richard J. Cote M.D., F.R.C.Path., F.C.A.P.

  14. The Dr. John T. MacDonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology (BioNIUM) Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Richard J. Cote M.D., F.R.C.Path., F.C.A.P.

Authors
  1. Anthony Williams Ph.D.
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  2. Ramdane Harouaka Ph.D.
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  3. Siyang Zheng Ph.D.
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  4. Chris Albanese Ph.D.
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  5. Richard Schlegel M.D., Ph.D.
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  6. Yu-Chong Tai Ph.D.
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  7. Ram H. Datar M. Phil., Ph.D.
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  8. Richard J. Cote M.D., F.R.C.Path., F.C.A.P.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard J. Cote M.D., F.R.C.Path., F.C.A.P. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA

    Richard J. Cote

  2. University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA

    Ram H. Datar

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Williams, A. et al. (2016). Perspectives on the Functional Characterization and In Vitro Maintenance of Circulating Tumor Cells. In: Cote, R., Datar, R. (eds) Circulating Tumor Cells. Current Cancer Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3363-1_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3363-1_11

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