Open AccessCirculating tumor cells in head and neck cancer: A review
Author(s) -
McMullen Kyle P.,
Chalmers Jeffrey J.,
Lang Jas C.,
Kumar Pawan,
Jatana Kris R.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
world journal of otorhinolaryngology ‐ head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2589-1081
pISSN - 2095-8811
DOI - 10.1016/j.wjorl.2016.05.003
Subject(s) - head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , medicine , oncology , circulating tumor cell , head and neck , head and neck cancer , disease , cancer , basal cell , pathology , cancer research , metastasis , surgery
Carcinoma of the head and neck represents 3.5% of all cancers, and the vast majority of these tumors are squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). With a stable overall survival rate of 50% among all stages, there is continued interested in developing measures for early detection and disease aggressiveness. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been identified as a potential marker for early metastatic disease, response to treatment, and surveillance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In this article, techniques of CTC detection, applications of CTC technology, and outcomes of HNSCC patients will be discussed.