Mark Bates, Bashir M Mohamed, Mark P Ward, Tanya E Kelly, Roisin O'Connor, Victoria Malone, Robert Brooks, Doug Brooks, Stavros Selemidis, Cara Martin, Sharon O'Toole, John O'Leary
This review is an overview of the current knowledge regarding circulating tumour cells (CTCs), which are potentially the most lethal type of cancer cell, and may be a key component of the metastatic cascade. The clinical utility of CTCs (the "Good"), includes their diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential. Conversely, their complex biology (the "Bad"), which CD45+/EpCAM+ CTCs, adds insult to injury regarding their isolation and identification, which in turn hampers clinical translation. CTCs are capable of forming microemboli composed of both non-discrete phenotypic populations such as mesenchymal CTCs and homotypic and heterotypic clusters which are poised to interact with other cells in the circulation, including immune cells and platelets, which may increase their malignant potential ...
February 14, 2023: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Reviews on Cancer