Early Changes in Circulating Tumor Cells Are Associated with Response and Survival Following Treatment of Metastatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Purpose: To investigate posttreatment circulating tumor cell (CTC) counts in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) as a predictive biomarker for disease progression and overall survival (OS).

Experimental Design: Patients with metastatic NENs commencing therapy were prospectively recruited (n = 138). Blood samples were obtained for evaluation of CTCs using the CellSearch platform and for chromogranin A (CgA) at baseline, three to five (median, 4.

Circulating tumor cells as prognostic markers in neuroendocrine tumors.

Purpose: To determine the prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with neuroendocrine cancer.

Patients And Methods: In this single-center prospective study, 176 patients with measurable metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) were recruited. CTCs were measured using a semiautomated technique based on immunomagnetic separation of epithelial cell adhesion molecule-expressing cells.

Circulating tumor cells and EpCAM expression in neuroendocrine tumors.

Purpose: Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are heterogeneous tumors with widely variable survival. It is unknown whether they express EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule) and thus whether NET circulating tumor cells (CTC) are detectable. We systematically investigated EpCAM expression and CTC detection in patients with metastatic NETs and evaluated the potential of CTCs to predict radiological progression.

Lymphocyte telomere length correlates with in vitro radiosensitivity in breast cancer cases but is not predictive of acute normal tissue reactions to radiotherapy.

Purpose: To examine the hypothesis that lymphocyte telomere length may be predictive of both breast cancer susceptibility and severity of acute reactions to radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures from breast cancer patients (with normal or severe skin reactions to radiotherapy) and normal individuals were assessed for in vitro radiosensitivity as measured by apoptosis, cell cycle delay and cytotoxicity. Telomere lengths were determined by a flow cytometric fluorescence in situ hybridization assay (FLOW-FISH).

Detection of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene in circulating prostate cancer cells.

Aim: To investigate the existence of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene in circulating tumor cells (CTC) from prostate cancer patients and its potential in monitoring tumor metastasis.

Methods: We analyzed the frequency of TMPRSS2:ERG and TMPRSS2:ETV1 transcripts in 27 prostate cancer biopsies from prostatectomies, and TMPRSS2:ERG transcripts in CTC isolated from 15 patients with advanced androgen independent disease using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was applied to analyze the genomic truncation of ERG, which is the result of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion in 10 of the 15 CTC samples.