Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells Without EpCAM and Cytokeratin
Author Information
Author(s): Mikolajczyk Stephen D., Millar Lisa S., Tsinberg Pavel, Coutts Stephen M., Zomorrodi Maryam, Pham Tam, Bischoff Farideh Z., Pircher Tony J.
Primary Institution: Biocept Inc.
Hypothesis
Can a new method capture and detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that do not express EpCAM or cytokeratin?
Conclusion
The study shows that a new method can detect more types of circulating tumor cells than traditional methods that rely solely on EpCAM and cytokeratin.
Supporting Evidence
- 63% of samples contained CK-positive cells.
- All samples contained additional CE-positive cells.
- Using antibody mixtures captured significantly more CK-positive cells than anti-EpCAM alone.
Takeaway
Doctors can find more cancer cells in the blood by using a new method that doesn't just look for common markers, helping to catch more types of cancer.
Methodology
Blood samples from cancer patients were processed using a micro-fluidic system with multiple antibodies for capturing CTCs, followed by a novel staining method for detection.
Potential Biases
There may be a bias in detecting only certain types of tumor cells based on the antibodies used.
Limitations
The study may not account for all types of circulating tumor cells, particularly those with very low levels of detectable antigens.
Participant Demographics
Cancer patients and healthy donors provided blood samples.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.02
Statistical Significance
p = 0.02
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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