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Silvestri M, Reduzzi C, Feliciello G, Vismara M, Schamberger T, Köstler C, Motta R, Calza S, Ferraris C, Vingiani A, Pruneri G, Daidone MG, Klein CA, Polzer B, Cappelletti V. Detection of Genomically Aberrant Cells within Circulating Tumor Microemboli (CTMs) Isolated from Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13061409. [PMID: 33808748 PMCID: PMC8003526 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Distant metastases derive from the shedding and dissemination of single cancer cells (CTCs) or circulating tumor emboli (CTMs) into circulation. Previous studies on CTMs were mainly run in patients with metastatic disease; however, we observed that CTMs are more frequently detected in patients with early-stage breast cancer. Here, we collected single CTMs and their relative primary tumor tissue samples in early-stage patients. By studying genomic aberrations, present in tumors cells and absent in normal cells, we predicted the tumor fraction thanks to a statistical model developed from a calibration curve with breast cancer cell lines. The tumor fraction ranged from 8% to 48% and CTMs contained specific and shared alterations with respect to tissue. Thus, CTMs may derive from different regions of the primary tumor or from occult micrometastases. Moreover, CTM-private mutations may inform us about specific metastasis-associated functions of involved genes that should be further explored in follow-up and mechanistic studies. Abstract Circulating tumor microemboli (CTMs) are clusters of cancer cells detached from solid tumors, whose study can reveal mechanisms underlying metastatization. As they frequently comprise unknown fractions of leukocytes, the analysis of copy number alterations (CNAs) is challenging. To address this, we titrated known numbers of leukocytes into cancer cells (MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-36, displaying high and low DNA content, respectively) generating tumor fractions from 0–100%. After low-pass sequencing, ichorCNA was identified as the best algorithm to build a linear mixed regression model for tumor fraction (TF) prediction. We then isolated 53 CTMs from blood samples of six early-stage breast cancer patients and predicted the TF of all clusters. We found that all clusters harbor cancer cells between 8 and 48%. Furthermore, by comparing the identified CNAs of CTMs with their matched primary tumors, we noted that only 31–71% of aberrations were shared. Surprisingly, CTM-private alterations were abundant (30–63%), whereas primary tumor-private alterations were rare (4–12%). This either indicates that CTMs are disseminated from further progressed regions of the primary tumor or stem from cancer cells already colonizing distant sites. In both cases, CTM-private mutations may inform us about specific metastasis-associated functions of involved genes that should be explored in follow-up and mechanistic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Silvestri
- Biomarker Unit, Department of Applied Research and Technological Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 42, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (C.R.); (M.V.); (R.M.); (M.G.D.)
| | - Carolina Reduzzi
- Biomarker Unit, Department of Applied Research and Technological Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 42, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (C.R.); (M.V.); (R.M.); (M.G.D.)
| | - Giancarlo Feliciello
- Division Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer-Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Biopark 1|Am Biopark 9, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (G.F.); (C.K.); (C.A.K.); (B.P.)
| | - Marta Vismara
- Biomarker Unit, Department of Applied Research and Technological Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 42, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (C.R.); (M.V.); (R.M.); (M.G.D.)
| | - Thomas Schamberger
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93040 Regensburg, Germany;
| | - Cäcilia Köstler
- Division Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer-Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Biopark 1|Am Biopark 9, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (G.F.); (C.K.); (C.A.K.); (B.P.)
| | - Rosita Motta
- Biomarker Unit, Department of Applied Research and Technological Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 42, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (C.R.); (M.V.); (R.M.); (M.G.D.)
| | - Stefano Calza
- Unit of Biostatistics, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25125 Brescia, Italy;
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cristina Ferraris
- Breast Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori di Milano, Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Andrea Vingiani
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giacomo Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy; (A.V.); (G.P.)
- Oncology and Hemato-Oncology Department, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Pruneri
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giacomo Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy; (A.V.); (G.P.)
- Oncology and Hemato-Oncology Department, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Daidone
- Biomarker Unit, Department of Applied Research and Technological Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 42, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (C.R.); (M.V.); (R.M.); (M.G.D.)
| | - Christoph A. Klein
- Division Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer-Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Biopark 1|Am Biopark 9, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (G.F.); (C.K.); (C.A.K.); (B.P.)
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93040 Regensburg, Germany;
| | - Bernhard Polzer
- Division Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer-Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Biopark 1|Am Biopark 9, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (G.F.); (C.K.); (C.A.K.); (B.P.)
| | - Vera Cappelletti
- Biomarker Unit, Department of Applied Research and Technological Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 42, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (C.R.); (M.V.); (R.M.); (M.G.D.)
- Correspondence:
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Abstract
Dissecting the relationship between genotype and phenotype is one of the central goals in developmental biology and medicine. Transcriptome analysis is a powerful strategy to connect genotype to phenotype of a cell. Here we review the history, progress, potential applications and future developments of single-cell transcriptome analysis. In combination with live cell imaging and lineage tracing, it will be possible to decipher the full gene expression network underlying physiological functions of individual cells in embryos and adults, and to study diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuchou Tang
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
- BIOPIC, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Kaiqin Lao
- Genetic Systems, Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - M. Azim Surani
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
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Conzelmann M, Linnemann U, Berger MR. Detection of disseminated tumour cells in the liver of cancer patients. Eur J Surg Oncol 2005; 31:977-85. [PMID: 16126360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2005.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2005] [Revised: 07/18/2005] [Accepted: 07/18/2005] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS The liver is a common site of metastasis from a variety of solid malignancies. This is due to disseminated tumour cells (DTC) that have spread prior to or during surgery from the primary carcinoma. This article gives a short overview of the data published on the detection of DTC in the liver and describes the commonly used detection methods and respective markers. METHODS A literature survey was performed in public medical databases comprising the last 15 years with focus on DTC detection in liver tissue of cancer patients. KEY FINDINGS Although the liver is a preferred site of metastasis, only a few studies have analysed the DTC incidence in inconspicuous liver tissue. The available reports include only patients with pancreatic and colorectal carcinomas. In patients with pancreatic cancer the DTC incidence varied from 5 to 76%. No follow-up data has been reported so far. In patients with colorectal carcinoma hepatic DTC were found in 5-69% of cases. A negative prognostic influence of hepatic DTC was reported in all but one studies with follow-up information. CONCLUSIONS The detection of DTC in the liver can contribute to identify patients with increased risk who could benefit from an intensified follow-up or new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Conzelmann
- Unit of Toxicology and Chemotherapy, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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