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Portella L, Bertolini G, Guardascione G, Di Febbraro DG, Ieranò C, D'Alterio C, Rea G, Napolitano M, Santagata S, Trotta AM, Camerlingo R, Scarpa E, Cecere SC, Ottaiano A, Palumbo G, Morabito A, Somma T, De Rosa G, Mayol L, Pacelli R, Pignata S, Scala S. CXCL12-loaded-hydrogel (CLG): A new device for metastatic circulating tumor cells (CTCs) capturing and characterization. Heliyon 2024; 10:e35524. [PMID: 39170328 PMCID: PMC11336720 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) represent a small, heterogeneous population that comprise the minority of cells able to develop metastasis. To trap and characterize CTCs with metastatic attitude, a CXCL12-loaded hyaluronic-gel (CLG) was developed. CXCR4+cells with invasive capability would infiltrate CLG. Methods Human colon, renal, lung and ovarian cancer cells (HT29, A498, H460 and OVCAR8 respectively) were seeded on 150 μl Empty Gels (EG) or 300 ng/ml CXCL12 loaded gel (CLG) and allowed to infiltrate for 16 h. Gels were then digested and fixed with 2 % FA-HAse for human cancer cell enumeration or digested with HAse and cancer cells recovered. CLG-recovered cells migrated toward CXCL12 and were tested for colonies/spheres formation. Moreover, CXCR4, E-Cadherin and Vimentin expression was assessed through flow cytometry and RT-PCR. The clinical trial "TRAP4MET" recruited 48 metastatic/advanced cancer patients (8 OC, 8 LC, 8 GBM, 8 EC, 8 RCC and 8 EC). 10 cc whole blood were devoted to PBMCs extraction (7 cc) and ScreenCell™ filters (3 cc) CTCs evaluation. Ficoll-isolated patient's PBMCs were seeded over CLG and allowed to infiltrate for 16 h; gels were digested and fixed with 2 % FA-HAse, cells stained and DAPI+/CD45-/pan-CK + cells enumerated as CTCs. Results Human cancer cells infiltrate CLG more efficiently than EG (CLG/EG ratio 1.25 for HT29/1.58 for A498/1.71 for H460 and 2.83 for OVCAR8). CLG-recovered HT29 cells display hybrid-mesenchymal features [low E-cadherin (40 %) and high vimentin (235 %) as compared to HT29], CXCR4 two-fold higher than HT29, efficiently migrate toward CXCL12 (two-fold higher than HT29) and developed higher number of colonies (171 ± 21 for HT29-CLG vs 131 ± 8 colonies for HT29)/larger spheres (spheroid area: 26561 ± 6142 μm2 for HT29-CLG vs 20297 ± 7238 for HT29). In TRAP4MET clinical trial, CLG-CTCs were isolated in 8/8 patients with OC, 6/8 with LC, 6/8 with CRC, 8/8 with EC, 8/8 with RCC cancer and 5/8 with GBM. Interestingly, in OC, LC and GBM, CLG isolated higher number of CTCs as compared to the conventional ScreenCell™ (CLG/SC ratio = 1.88 for OC, 2.47 for LC and 11.89 for GBM). Bland and Altman blot analysis and Passing and Bablok regression analysis showed concordance between the methodological approaches but indicate that SC and CLG are not superimposable suggesting that the two systems select cells with different features. Conclusion CLG might represent a new and easy tool to isolate invasive CTCs in multiple cancers such as OC, LC and GBM at today orphan of reliable methods to consistently detect CTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Portella
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giulia Bertolini
- Tumor Genomic Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Guardascione
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Dario Guido Di Febbraro
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Caterina Ieranò
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Crescenzo D'Alterio
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Rea
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Napolitano
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sara Santagata
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Trotta
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Rosa Camerlingo
- Cell Biology and Biotherapy, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Emilia Scarpa
- Gynecology Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sabrina Chiara Cecere
- Gynecology Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Ottaiano
- Abdominal Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuliano Palumbo
- Thoracic Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Morabito
- Thoracic Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Teresa Somma
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
| | | | - Laura Mayol
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
| | - Roberto Pacelli
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
| | - Sandro Pignata
- Gynecology Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Stefania Scala
- Microenvironment Molecular Targets, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy
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Kuo YC, Chuang CH, Kuo HC, Lin CT, Chao A, Huang HJ, Wang HM, Hsieh JCH, Chou HH. Circulating tumor cells help differentiate benign ovarian lesions from cancer before surgery: A literature review and proof of concept study using flow cytometry with fluorescence imaging. Oncol Lett 2024; 27:234. [PMID: 38596263 PMCID: PMC11003220 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Current tools are insufficient for distinguishing patients with ovarian cancer from those with benign ovarian lesions before extensive surgery. The present study utilized a readily accessible platform employing a negative selection strategy, followed by flow cytometry, to enumerate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with ovarian cancer. These counts were compared with those from patients with benign ovarian lesions. CTC counts at baseline, before and after anticancer therapy, and across various clinical scenarios involving ovarian lesions were assessed. A negative-selection protocol we proposed was applied to patients with suspected ovarian cancer and prospectively utilized in those subsequently confirmed to have malignancy. The protocol was implemented before anticancer therapy and at months 3, 6, 9 and 12 post-treatment. A cut-off value for CTC number at 4.75 cells/ml was established to distinguish ovarian malignancy from benign lesions, with an area under the curve of 0.900 (P<0.001). In patients with ovarian cancer, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that baseline CTC counts and the decline in CTCs within the first three months post-therapy were significant predictors of prolonged progression-free survival. Additionally, baseline CTC counts independently prognosticated overall survival. CTC counts obtained with the proposed platform, used in the present study, suggest that pre-operative CTC testing may be able to differentiate between malignant and benign tumors. Moreover, CTC counts may indicate oncologic outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer who have undergone cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Chia Kuo
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital, New Taipei City 236, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Chi-Hsi Chuang
- Department of Pediatrics, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City 236, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Hsuan-Chih Kuo
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital, New Taipei City 236, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Cheng-Tao Lin
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Angel Chao
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Huei-Jean Huang
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Hung-Ming Wang
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Jason Chia-Hsun Hsieh
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital, New Taipei City 236, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Hung-Hsueh Chou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department and School of Medicine, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan, R.O.C
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Sun S, Yang Q, Jiang D, Zhang Y. Nanobiotechnology augmented cancer stem cell guided management of cancer: liquid-biopsy, imaging, and treatment. J Nanobiotechnology 2024; 22:176. [PMID: 38609981 PMCID: PMC11015566 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02432-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent both a key driving force and therapeutic target of tumoral carcinogenesis, tumor evolution, progression, and recurrence. CSC-guided tumor diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance are strategically significant in improving cancer patients' overall survival. Due to the heterogeneity and plasticity of CSCs, high sensitivity, specificity, and outstanding targeting are demanded for CSC detection and targeting. Nanobiotechnologies, including biosensors, nano-probes, contrast enhancers, and drug delivery systems, share identical features required. Implementing these techniques may facilitate the overall performance of CSC detection and targeting. In this review, we focus on some of the most recent advances in how nanobiotechnologies leverage the characteristics of CSC to optimize cancer diagnosis and treatment in liquid biopsy, clinical imaging, and CSC-guided nano-treatment. Specifically, how nanobiotechnologies leverage the attributes of CSC to maximize the detection of circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor cells, and exosomes, to improve positron emission computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and to enhance the therapeutic effects of cytotoxic therapy, photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy therapy, and radioimmunotherapy are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Sun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Qiang Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Dawei Jiang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, the Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430022, China.
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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Detection and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells Using Imaging Flow Cytometry—A Perspective Study. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14174178. [PMID: 36077716 PMCID: PMC9454939 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Liquid biopsy is non-invasive approach used to prognose and monitor tumor progression based on the detection and examination of metastasis-related events found in the patients’ blood (such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular vesicles, and circulating nucleic acids). Different ultrasensitive techniques are applied to study those events and the biology of tumor dissemination, which in the future might complement standard diagnostics. Here, we suggest that CTCs analysis could be improved by the usage of imaging flow cytometry, combining advantages of both standard flow cytometry (high-scale analysis) and microscopy (high resolution) to investigate detailed features of those cells. From this perspective, we discuss the potential of this technology in the CTC field and present representative images of CTCs from breast and prostate cancer patients analyzed with this method. Abstract Tumor dissemination is one of the most-investigated steps of tumor progression, which in recent decades led to the rapid development of liquid biopsy aiming to analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular vesicles (EVs), and circulating nucleic acids in order to precisely diagnose and monitor cancer patients. Flow cytometry was considered as a method to detect CTCs; however, due to the lack of verification of the investigated cells’ identity, this method failed to reach clinical utility. Meanwhile, imaging flow cytometry combining the sensitivity and high throughput of flow cytometry and image-based detailed analysis through a high-resolution microscope might open a new avenue in CTC technologies and provide an open-platform system alternative to CellSearch®, which is still the only gold standard in this field. Hereby, we shortly review the studies on the usage of flow cytometry in CTC identification and present our own representative images of CTCs envisioned by imaging flow cytometry providing rationale that this novel technology might be a good tool for studying tumor dissemination, and, if combined with a high CTC yield enrichment method, could upgrade CTC-based diagnostics.
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Multi-Marker Immunofluorescent Staining and PD-L1 Detection on Circulating Tumour Cells from Ovarian Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13246225. [PMID: 34944844 PMCID: PMC8699768 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13246225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) have the potential to serve as a rich source of information for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. To fully exploit this minimally invasive diagnostic resource requires techniques that aid in enriching heterogenous populations of CTCs and markers to efficiently characterise these cells as tumour derived. In the present study we eva-luated the microfluidic enrichment of CTCs and a multi-marker staining methodology for the identification of heterogeneous CTCs in ovarian cancer (OC) patients and evaluation of PD-L1 expression. We showed, for the first time, the existence of hybrid CTCs with an epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype and their association with PD-L1 in OC. Incorporation of this method in future clinical trials can help predict immunotherapy responsiveness in OC patients. Abstract Detection of ovarian cancer (OC) circulating tumour cells (CTCs) is primarily based on targeting epithelial markers, thus failing to detect mesenchymal tumour cells. More importantly, the immune checkpoint inhibitor marker PD-L1 has not been demonstrated on CTCs from OC patients. An antibody staining protocol was developed and tested using SKOV-3 and OVCA432 OC cell lines. We targeted epithelial (cytokeratin (CK) and EpCAM), mesenchymal (vimentin), and OC-specific (PAX8) markers for detection of CTCs, and CD45/16 and CD31 were used for the exclusion of white blood and vascular endothelial cells, respectively. PD-L1 was used for CTC characterisation. CTCs were enriched using the Parsortix™ system from 16 OC patients. Results revealed the presence of CTCs in 10 (63%) cases. CTCs were heterogeneous, with 113/157 (72%) cells positive for CK/EpCAM (epithelial marker), 58/157 (37%) positive for vimentin (mesenchymal marker), and 17/157 (11%) for both (hybrid). PAX8 was only found in 11/157 (7%) CTCs. In addition, 62/157 (39%) CTCs were positive for PD-L1. Positivity for PD-L1 was significantly associated with the hybrid phenotype when compared with the epithelial (p = 0.007) and mesenchymal (p = 0.0009) expressing CTCs. Characterisation of CTC phenotypes in relation to clinical outcomes is needed to provide insight into the role that epithelial to mesenchymal plasticity plays in OC and its relationship with PD-L1.
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