Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are defined as those cells that detach from a cancerous lesion and enter the bloodstream. While generally most CTCs are subjected to high shear stress, anoikis signals, and immune attack in the circulatory system, few are able to survive and reach a distant organ in a viable state, possibly leading to metastasis formation. A large number of studies, both prospecti...

Background: As the heterogeneity of CTCs is becoming increasingly better understood, it is clear that identifying particular subtypes of CTCs would be more relevant. Methods: We detected folate receptor (FR)-positive circulating tumor cells (FR+-CTCs) by a novel ligand-targeted polymerase chain reaction (LT-PCR) detection technique. Results: In the none-dynamic study, FR+-CTC levels of patients...

BACKGROUND We investigated whether circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating endothelial cells (CECs) predict clinical outcome of first-line chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab in metastatic breast cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a French substudy of the MO19391 trial, CTC and CEC counts (CellSearch system) at baseline and changes after two cycles of treatment were correlated...

Objective: CT colonography (CTC) is recommended after positive fecal occult blood testing (FOBt) when colonoscopy is incomplete or infeasible. We aimed to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of CTC for colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps following positive FOBt via systematic review. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED and Cochrane Library databases were searched for CTC studies report...

BACKGROUND The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in patients with melanoma represents an appealing prognostic tool, but no consensus exists on this topic. We aimed to comprehensively and quantitatively summarize the evidence for the use of CTC to predict patients' clinical outcome. METHODS Fifty-three studies enrolling 5,433 patients were reviewed. Correlation of CTC status with tumo...

A study was carried out to determine if the presence of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) interfered with the assay of chlortetracycline (CTC) and if the presence of CTC interfered with the assay of BMD when both are combined in a pig feed. In addition, the potential influence of steam pelleting on active concentrations of BMD and CTC was determined. Further, the stability of BMD in the p...

Stimulated neutrophils show ionic fluxes that may function as "transducers" between stimuli and effector functions. Using fluorescent probes, patterns of membrane-associated calcium (chlortetracycline, CTC) and membrane potential (3-3'-dipentyloxacarbocyanine, di-O-C5 (3)) in single living human neutrophils were observed with a fluorescence microscope fitted with an image intensifier and photom...

Stimulus-secretion coupling in pancreatic exocrine cells was studied using dissociated acini, prepared from mouse pancreas, and chlorotetracycline (CTC), a fluorescent probe which forms highly fluorescent complexes with Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions bound to membranes. Acini, preloaded by incubation with CTC (100 microM), displayed a fluorescence having spectral properties like that of CTC complexed to ca...

AIMS Cytokeratin(CK) based real-time RT-PCR assays (QRT-PCR) are now available for peripheral blood circulating tumor cell (CTC) evaluations in colorectal cancer(CRC) patients. Results are non-existent for the application of these techniques to the determination of progression and therapy response in Dukes stage D CRC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Each month 30 ml peripheral blood of 30 Duke...

Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTC) is advancing as an effective predictor of patient outcome and therapeutic response. Unfortunately, our knowledge of CTC biology remains limited, and the impact of drug treatments on CTC metastatic potential is currently unclear. Improved CTC imaging in vivo and analysis of free-floating tumor cells now show that cytoskeletal regulation in CTCs contrast...