Dados do Trabalho

Título

Circulating tumor cells from patients with high-grade ovarian cancer serous carcinoma express leukocyte markers

Introdução

Cancer detection and management are still challenging. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a potential resource to address many of these challenges. Cell fusion (graphical abstract), an event discovered recently in CTCs expressing carcinoma and leukocyte markers, occurs when ≥2 cells become a single entity (hybrid cell) after the merging of their plasma membranes 1–4 Cell fusion is still poorly understood despite continuous evaluations in in vitro/in vivo studies.

Objetivo

Blood (6 mL) from 14 patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil), were collected, aiming the analysis of CTCs/hybrid cells and their correlation to clinical outcome.

Casuística

14 patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Método

The isolation/identification of CTCs/hybrid cells were made by ISET. Samples (n=38) were collected at baseline, after one month (1st follow-up) and after three months (2nd follow-up) of treatment with olaparib.

Resultados

Fourteen patients were included and all had detectable CTCs. We found MC1-R, SPARC, CD45 and EpCAM expression in at least one CTC of each patient. Membrane staining with CD45 was found in CTCs from the other cohort, from other center, evaluated by CellSearch® system. The presence of circulating tumor microemboli (CTM) in the first follow-up was associated with a shorter RFS (5,2 x 12,2 months; p=0,005). The MC1-R expression in CTM in the first and second follow-ups was associated with a shorter RFS (p=0.005). CEN8 expression in CTCs was also related to shorter RFS (p=0.035).

Conclusões

MC1-R correlated with poor RFS and was present in hybrid cells, which points it as potential fusion biomarker in ovarian cancer.

Palavras-chave

Circulating tumor cells; cell fusion; hybrid cells; CD45; ovarian cancer; in situ hybridization

Fotos e tabelas

Figure 1. Recurrence-free survival analysis of ovarian cancer patients for CEN8 expression in CTCs (hybrid cells) at the baseline. The presence of polyploidy in the CEN8 showed a worse RFS (7 months x 21.21 months, p= 0.035) in relation to those who did not.       Table 1. Clinic-pathological variables in patients with high grade ovarian cancer.