Gastric cancer(GC), with its high incidence and mortality rates, is a highly fatal cancer that is common in East Asia particularly in China. Its recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of its poor prognosis. Cir...Gastric cancer(GC), with its high incidence and mortality rates, is a highly fatal cancer that is common in East Asia particularly in China. Its recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of its poor prognosis. Circulating tumor cells(CTCs) or other blood biomarkers that are released into the circulating blood stream by tumors are thought to play a crucial role in the recurrence and metastasis of gastric cancer. Therefore, the detection of CTCs and other blood biomarkers has an important clinical significance; in fact, they can help predict the prognosis, assess the staging, monitor the therapeutic effects and determine the drug susceptibility. Recent research has identified many blood biomarkers in GC, such as various serum proteins, autoantibodies against tumor associated antigens, and cell-free DNAs. The analysis of CTCs and circulating cell-free tumor DNA(ctDNA) in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer is called as liquid biopsy. These blood biomarkers provide the disease status for individuals and have clinical meaning. In this review, we focus on the recent scientific advances regarding CTCs and other blood biomarkers, and discuss their origins and clinical meaning.展开更多
Gastric cancer(GC) remains one of the most common and malignant types of cancer due to its rapid progression, distant metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy, although efforts have been made to underst...Gastric cancer(GC) remains one of the most common and malignant types of cancer due to its rapid progression, distant metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy, although efforts have been made to understand the underlying mechanism of this resistance and to improve clinical outcome. It is well recognized that tumor heterogeneity, a fundamental feature of malignancy, plays an essential role in the cancer development and chemoresistance. The model of tumor-initiating cell(TIC) has been proposed to explain the genetic, histological, and phenotypical heterogeneity of GC. TIC accounts for a minor subpopulation of tumor cells with key characteristics including high tumorigenicity, maintenance of self-renewal potential, giving rise to both tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cancer cells, and resistance to chemotherapy. Regarding tumor-initiating cell of GC(GATIC), substantial studies have been performed to(1) identify the putative specific cell markers for purification and functional validation of GATICs;(2) trace the origin of GATICs; and(3) decode the regulatory mechanism of GATICs. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate the plasticity of GATIC and the interaction between GATIC and its surrounding factors(TIC niche or tumor microenvironment). All these investigations pave the way for the development of GATIC-targeted therapy, which is in the phase of preclinical studies and clinical trials. Here, we interpret the heterogeneity of GC from the perspectives of TIC by reviewing the above-mentioned fundamental and clinical studies of GATICs. Problems encountered during the GATIC investigations and the potential solutions are also discussed.展开更多
AIM: To clarify the biological feature contributing to gastric cancer with diffuse bone metastases at diagnosis.METHODS: The participants visited the Department of Clinical Oncology, Akita University Hospital, from Ja...AIM: To clarify the biological feature contributing to gastric cancer with diffuse bone metastases at diagnosis.METHODS: The participants visited the Department of Clinical Oncology, Akita University Hospital, from January 2014 to August 2015. The selection criterion for gastric cancer with diffuse bone metastases at diagnosis includes over 29 hot spots of bone scintigraphy. Circulating tumor cell were collected from 20 m L of peripheral venous blood drawn using a Cell Search kit and a Cell Tracks Auto Prep system by SRL, a clinical laboratory. The endpoints of this study were correlations between circulating tumor cells(CTC) count and therapeutic outcomes. RESULTS: Among 39 patients with gastric cancer, 5 patients met the criterion. The incidence of this subtype was 12.8%. CTC counts ranged from 235 to 6440 cells/7.5 m L of peripheral blood(median of 1724). These values were much higher than common gastric cancers(2 cells). In chemo-sensitive cases, CTC counts decreased within 14 d(median) from 275, 235 and 1724 to 2, 7 and 66, respectively. On the other hand, CTC counts increased after treatment failure or insensitive case from 2, 7 and 6440 to 787, 513 and 7885, respectively. The correlation between CTC count and survival time showed a trend, but did not reach significance(Y = 234.6- 0.03 X, P = 0.085).CONCLUSION: High CTC count is a biological hallmark of this subtype, and can be used as a direct and definitive indicator of therapeutic outcome.展开更多
To improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients, early detection and accurate monitoring of diseases are necessary. Numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to oncogenesis and cancer progression, and...To improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients, early detection and accurate monitoring of diseases are necessary. Numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to oncogenesis and cancer progression, and analyses of these changes have been increasingly utilized for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes in malignant diseases including gastric cancer (GC). Surgical and/or biopsy specimens are generally used to understand the tumor-associated alterations; however, those approaches cannot always be performed because of their invasive characteristics and may fail to reflect current tumor dynamics and drug sensitivities, which may change during the therapeutic process. Therefore, the importance of developing a non-invasive biomarker with the ability to monitor real-time tumor dynamics should be emphasized. This concept, so called “liquid biopsy”, would provide an ideal therapeutic strategy for an individual cancer patient and would facilitate the development of “tailor-made” cancer management programs. In the blood of cancer patients, the presence and potent utilities of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) such as DNA, mRNA and microRNA have been recognized, and their clinical relevance is attracting considerable attention. In this review, we discuss recent developments in this research field as well as the relevance and future perspectives of CTCs and cfNAs in cancer patients, especially focusing on GC.展开更多
基金Supported by the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation,No.2016A030313843
文摘Gastric cancer(GC), with its high incidence and mortality rates, is a highly fatal cancer that is common in East Asia particularly in China. Its recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of its poor prognosis. Circulating tumor cells(CTCs) or other blood biomarkers that are released into the circulating blood stream by tumors are thought to play a crucial role in the recurrence and metastasis of gastric cancer. Therefore, the detection of CTCs and other blood biomarkers has an important clinical significance; in fact, they can help predict the prognosis, assess the staging, monitor the therapeutic effects and determine the drug susceptibility. Recent research has identified many blood biomarkers in GC, such as various serum proteins, autoantibodies against tumor associated antigens, and cell-free DNAs. The analysis of CTCs and circulating cell-free tumor DNA(ctDNA) in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer is called as liquid biopsy. These blood biomarkers provide the disease status for individuals and have clinical meaning. In this review, we focus on the recent scientific advances regarding CTCs and other blood biomarkers, and discuss their origins and clinical meaning.
基金Supported by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical Engineering Cross Research Fund,No.YG2014MS59
文摘Gastric cancer(GC) remains one of the most common and malignant types of cancer due to its rapid progression, distant metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy, although efforts have been made to understand the underlying mechanism of this resistance and to improve clinical outcome. It is well recognized that tumor heterogeneity, a fundamental feature of malignancy, plays an essential role in the cancer development and chemoresistance. The model of tumor-initiating cell(TIC) has been proposed to explain the genetic, histological, and phenotypical heterogeneity of GC. TIC accounts for a minor subpopulation of tumor cells with key characteristics including high tumorigenicity, maintenance of self-renewal potential, giving rise to both tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cancer cells, and resistance to chemotherapy. Regarding tumor-initiating cell of GC(GATIC), substantial studies have been performed to(1) identify the putative specific cell markers for purification and functional validation of GATICs;(2) trace the origin of GATICs; and(3) decode the regulatory mechanism of GATICs. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate the plasticity of GATIC and the interaction between GATIC and its surrounding factors(TIC niche or tumor microenvironment). All these investigations pave the way for the development of GATIC-targeted therapy, which is in the phase of preclinical studies and clinical trials. Here, we interpret the heterogeneity of GC from the perspectives of TIC by reviewing the above-mentioned fundamental and clinical studies of GATICs. Problems encountered during the GATIC investigations and the potential solutions are also discussed.
文摘AIM: To clarify the biological feature contributing to gastric cancer with diffuse bone metastases at diagnosis.METHODS: The participants visited the Department of Clinical Oncology, Akita University Hospital, from January 2014 to August 2015. The selection criterion for gastric cancer with diffuse bone metastases at diagnosis includes over 29 hot spots of bone scintigraphy. Circulating tumor cell were collected from 20 m L of peripheral venous blood drawn using a Cell Search kit and a Cell Tracks Auto Prep system by SRL, a clinical laboratory. The endpoints of this study were correlations between circulating tumor cells(CTC) count and therapeutic outcomes. RESULTS: Among 39 patients with gastric cancer, 5 patients met the criterion. The incidence of this subtype was 12.8%. CTC counts ranged from 235 to 6440 cells/7.5 m L of peripheral blood(median of 1724). These values were much higher than common gastric cancers(2 cells). In chemo-sensitive cases, CTC counts decreased within 14 d(median) from 275, 235 and 1724 to 2, 7 and 66, respectively. On the other hand, CTC counts increased after treatment failure or insensitive case from 2, 7 and 6440 to 787, 513 and 7885, respectively. The correlation between CTC count and survival time showed a trend, but did not reach significance(Y = 234.6- 0.03 X, P = 0.085).CONCLUSION: High CTC count is a biological hallmark of this subtype, and can be used as a direct and definitive indicator of therapeutic outcome.
文摘To improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients, early detection and accurate monitoring of diseases are necessary. Numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to oncogenesis and cancer progression, and analyses of these changes have been increasingly utilized for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes in malignant diseases including gastric cancer (GC). Surgical and/or biopsy specimens are generally used to understand the tumor-associated alterations; however, those approaches cannot always be performed because of their invasive characteristics and may fail to reflect current tumor dynamics and drug sensitivities, which may change during the therapeutic process. Therefore, the importance of developing a non-invasive biomarker with the ability to monitor real-time tumor dynamics should be emphasized. This concept, so called “liquid biopsy”, would provide an ideal therapeutic strategy for an individual cancer patient and would facilitate the development of “tailor-made” cancer management programs. In the blood of cancer patients, the presence and potent utilities of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) such as DNA, mRNA and microRNA have been recognized, and their clinical relevance is attracting considerable attention. In this review, we discuss recent developments in this research field as well as the relevance and future perspectives of CTCs and cfNAs in cancer patients, especially focusing on GC.
