
pmid: 23266318
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from cancerous tumors, enter the circulatory system, and migrate to distant organs to form metastases that ultimately lead to the death of most patients with cancer. Identification and characterization of CTCs provides a means to study, monitor, and potentially interfere with the metastatic process. Isolation of CTCs from blood is challenging because CTCs are rare and possess characteristics that reflect the heterogeneity of cancers. Various methods have been developed to enrich CTCs from many millions of normal blood cells. Microfluidics offers an opportunity to create a next generation of superior CTC enrichment devices. This review focuses on various microfluidic approaches that have been applied to date to capture CTCs from the blood of patients with cancer.
Neoplasms, Antigens, Surface, Microfluidics, Biomarkers, Tumor, Molecular Medicine, Humans, Cell Separation, Neoplastic Cells, Circulating, Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Neoplasms, Antigens, Surface, Microfluidics, Biomarkers, Tumor, Molecular Medicine, Humans, Cell Separation, Neoplastic Cells, Circulating, Pathology and Forensic Medicine
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| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% |
