Open AccessClinical impact of minimal cancer cell detection in various colorectal cancer specimens
Author(s) -
Kazuhiko Yoshimatsu,
Hajime Yokomizo,
Yoshihiko Naritaka
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v20.i35.12458
Subject(s) - colorectal cancer , cancer , cancer detection , cancer cell , medicine , oncology , lymph , cancer research , pathology
Detection of cancer cells using molecular targets is achieved by combining immunochemical reactions with gene amplification techniques. This enables the detection of cancer cells in specimens that are traditionally determined to be cancer-free. These improvements in detection can lead to prognoses that are different from those derived by conventional pathological staging. Survival is worse when cancer cells are detected in regional lymph nodes compared to when the nodes are cancer-free. Furthermore, the circulating tumor cell (CTC) count increases as the cancer progresses. Consequently, there is a correlation between CTC count and prognosis. However, large-scale prospective studies are required to confirm this. The development of more convenient and cost-effective analysis techniques will facilitate the practical application of these findings.