Circulating tumor cells
Last revised by David Luong
on 27 Jul 2021
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Weerakkody Y, Luong D, Deng F, Circulating tumor cells. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 19 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-69664
Permalink:
rID:
69664
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.
View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures
Last revised:
27 Jul 2021,
David Luong
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised David Luong had no recorded disclosures.
View David Luong's current disclosures
Revisions:
5 times, by
3 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Synonyms:
- Circulating tumor cells
- Circulating tumor cells (CTC's)
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) refers to cells that have shed into the bloodstream or lymphatics from a primary tumor. They are thought to constitute "seeds" for the subsequent development of metastases.
History and etymology
They were first observed in blood in a patient with metastatic cancer by Thomas Ashworth in 1869.
References
- 1. Hou JM, Krebs M, Ward T, Morris K, Sloane R, Blackhall F, Dive C. Circulating tumor cells, enumeration and beyond. (2010) Cancers. 2 (2): 1236-50. doi:10.3390/cancers2021236 - Pubmed
- 2. O'Flaherty JD, Gray S, Richard D, Fennell D, O'Leary JJ, Blackhall FH, O'Byrne KJ. Circulating tumour cells, their role in metastasis and their clinical utility in lung cancer. (2012) Lung cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 76 (1): 19-25. doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2011.10.018 - Pubmed
- 3. Sheth RA, Hesketh R, Deipolyi AR, Oklu R. Circulating tumor cells: personalized medicine in interventional oncology?. (2013) Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR. 24 (2): 221-8. doi:10.1016/j.jvir.2012.10.018 - Pubmed
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.