Clinical significance of circulating tumor cells in squamous cell lung cancer patients

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Qi, Yuanling | Wang, Wenhui^*

Affiliations: Department of oncology, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Wenhui Wang, Department of Oncology, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang 261041, Shandong, China. Tel.: +86 15253698767; E-mail:jiangbiao4012@126.com

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung represents 20-30% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and is associated with a poor prognosis. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in squamous cell lung cancer patients and what its role might be in providing prognostic information. METHODS: Serial blood samples from 100 patients both before and after initiation of one cycle of standard chemotherapy were analyzed using CellSearch system. RESULTS: Of 105 patients enrolled, 100 were evaluable. ≥ 2 CTCs per 7.5 mL of blood were present in 29% of patients at baseline before chemotherapy, and 9% patients have more than 5 CTCs. Based on the current literature, the CTC measurements were dichotomized as 2-4 versus ≥ 5 CTCs. In the univariate analysis, CTC count ≥ 5 at baseline and CTC count ≥ 5 at both time points (before and after one cycle of chemotherapy) were significantly associated with a poor PFS and OS outcome. Both factors remained independent poor prognostic markers in the stepwise multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our study indicate that the CTC count is a prognostic factor for PFS and OS outcomes in Chinese patients with locally advanced SCC of the lung.

Keywords: Squamous cell lung cancer, circulating tumor cells, prognostic marker

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-160090

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 161-167, 2017