Cancer-associated Macrophage-like Cells in Patients with Non-metastatic Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus - Cytomorphological Heterogeneity.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) often recurs systemically despite therapy with a curative aim. New diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. A promising field is liquid biopsy, meaning the investigation of tumor-associated cells in the peripheral blood, for example cancer-associated macrophage-like cells (CAML).

Cytopathological Heterogeneity of Circulating Tumor Cells in Non-metastatic Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Background/aim: The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTC) has been reported to have an impact on prognosis in different tumor entities. Little is known about CTC morphology and heterogeneity.

Patients And Methods: In a multicenter setting, pre-therapeutic peripheral blood specimens were drawn from patients with non-metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).