Stem cell-like circulating tumor cells indicate poor prognosis in gastric cancer

New insights into the correlations between circulating tumor cells and target organ metastasis

Organ-specific metastasis is the primary cause of cancer patient death. The distant metastasis of tumor cells to specific organs depends on both the intrinsic characteristics of the tumor cells and extrinsic factors in their microenvironment. During an intermediate stage of metastasis, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are released into the bloodstream from primary and metastatic tumors. CTCs harboring aggressive or metastatic features can extravasate to remote sites for continuous colonizing growth, leading to further lesions. In the past decade, numerous studies demonstrated that CTCs exhibited huge clinical value including predicting distant metastasis, assessing prognosis and monitoring treatment response et al. Furthermore, increasingly numerous experiments are dedicated to identifying the key molecules on or inside CTCs and exploring how they mediate CTC-related organ-specific metastasis. Based on the above molecules, more and more inhibitors are being developed to target CTCs and being utilized to completely clean CTCs, which should provide promising prospects to administer advanced tumor. Recently, the application of various nanomaterials and microfluidic technologies in CTCs enrichment technology has assisted to improve our deep insights into the phenotypic characteristics and biological functions of CTCs as a potential therapy target, which may pave the way for us to make practical clinical strategies. In the present review, we mainly focus on the role of CTCs being involved in targeted organ metastasis, especially the latest molecular mechanism research and clinical intervention strategies related to CTCs.

Application of CD34 expression combined with three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography scanning in preoperative staging of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Accurate preoperative staging of gastric cancer (GC), a common malignant tumor worldwide, is critical for appropriate treatment plans and prognosis. Dynamic three-phase enhanced computed tomography (CT) scanning for preoperative staging of GC has limitations in evaluating tumor angiogenesis. CD34, a marker on vascular endothelial cell surfaces, is promising in evaluating tumor angiogenesis. We explored the value of their combination for preoperative staging of GC to improve the efficacy and prognosis of patients with GC.

AIM

To explore the evaluation value of CD34 expression + dynamic three-phase enhanced CT scanning in preoperative staging of GC.

METHODS

Medical records of 106 patients with GC treated at the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang between February 2021 and January 2023 were retrospectively studied. All patients underwent three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scanning before surgery, and CD34 was detected in gastroscopic biopsy specimens. Using surgical and pathological results as the gold standard, the diagnostic results of three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scanning at different T and N stages were analyzed, and the expression of CD34-marked microvessel density (MVD) at different T and N stages was determined. The specificity and sensitivity of three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT and CD34 in T and N staging were calculated; those of the combined diagnosis of the two were evaluated in parallel. Independent factors affecting lymph node metastasis were analyzed using multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

The accuracy of three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scanning in diagnosing stages T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 68.00%, 75.00%, 79.41%, and 73.68%, respectively, and for diagnosing stages N0, N1, N2, and N3 were 75.68%, 74.07%, 85.00%, and 77.27%, respectively. CD34-marked MVD expression increased with increasing T and N stages. Specificity and sensitivity of three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT in T staging were 86.79% and 88.68%; for N staging, 89.06% and 92.86%; for CD34 in T staging, 64.15% and 88.68%; and for CD34 in N staging, 84.38% and 78.57%, respectively. Specificity and sensitivity of joint diagnosis in T staging were 55.68% and 98.72%, and N staging were 75.15% and 98.47%, respectively, with the area under the curve for diagnosis improving accordingly. According to multivariate analysis, a longer tumor diameter, higher pathological T stage, lower differentiation degree, and higher expression of CD34-marked MVD were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with GC.

CONCLUSION

With high accuracy in preoperatively determining the invasion depth and lymph node metastasis of GC, CD34 expression and three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT can provide a reliable basis for surgical resection.