Retracing Circulating Tumour Cells for Biomarker Characterization after Enumeration

Authors

  • Anders S. Frandsen CytoTrack ApS, Lyngby, Denmark
  • Anna Fabisiewicz Department of Translational and Molecular Oncology, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
  • Agnieszka Jagiello-Gruszfeld Department of Breast Cancer and Reconstruction Surgery, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
  • Anastasiya S. Haugaard CTC Center of Excellence, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Louise Munkhaus Petersen CTC Center of Excellence, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Katrine Brandt Albrektsen CTC Center of Excellence, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Sarah Nejlund CTC Center of Excellence, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Julie Smith Department of Technology, Faculty of Health and Technology, Metropolitan University College, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Henrik Stender CTC Center of Excellence, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Thore Hillig Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • György Sölétormos Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Zealand Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33393/jcb.2015.2055

Keywords:

CytoDisc, Ciculating tumor cells, CytoTrack, Cancer, HER2, CTC, Characterization, Enumeration, Breast cancer, Immunofluorescence, CK, Liquid biopsy, Method, Retracing, Metastasis

Abstract

Background Retracing and biomarker characterization of individual circulating tumour cells (CTCs) may potentially contribute to personalized metastatic cancer therapy. This is relevant when a biopsy of the metastasis is complicated or impossible to acquire. Methods A novel disc format was used to map and retrace individual CTCs from breast-cancer patients and nucleated cells from healthy blood donors using the CytoTrack platform. For proof of the retracing concept, CTC HER2 characterization by immunofluorescence was tested. Results CTCs were detected and enumerated in three of four blood samples from breast-cancer patients and the locations of each individual CTCs were mapped on the discs. Nucleated cells were retraced on seven discs with 96.6%±8.5% recovery on five fields of view on each disc. Shifting of field of view for retracing was measured to 4-29 μm. In a blood sample from a HER2-positive breast-cancer patient, CTC enumeration and mapping was followed by HER2 characterization and retracing to demonstrate downstream immunofluorescence analysis of the CTC. Conclusion Mapping and retracing of CTCs enables downstream analysis of individual CTCs for existing and future cancer genotypic and phenotypic biomarkers. Future studies will uncover this potential of the novel retracing technology.