SnapShot: Circulating Tumor Cells

Cell. 2017 Feb 9;168(4):742-742.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.026.

Abstract

Circulating tumor cells in the blood of patients are both signal flares for the existence of a tumor and harbingers of metastasis. With recent technological developments, these cells can be isolated and analyzed to provide insights into the biology of cancer spread and response to therapy and to offer new avenues for blood biomarker development.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / pathology*
  • Single-Cell Analysis