Metastasis is a very significant factor in cancer progression and with this comprising cancer-spread into secondary sites from the primary site, it can result in cancer-related mortality as well as approximately 90 % of treatment failures.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) hold an important role in metastasis, as these cancer cells are released into the bloodstream from the primary cancer site. However, while there is a large number of CTCs are released into the circulation, most are eliminated in this area, while a limited number survive and invade organs causing metastasis of primary cancer. Additionally, only a small number of CTCs can be detected in the blood as most escape immune surveillance.
The significance of CTCs lies within their use as a biomarker for possible detection of cancer; this would enable earlier diagnosis of the disease and aid in comprehensive treatment plans for physicians.
As CTCs are derived from the primary tumor mass, they hold genetic information. Their entrance into the circulation at an early stage of malignancy enables their use for diagnostic purposes.
This has led to research focusing on capturing CTCs and isolating them for further analysis, an approach that could potentially be an alternative to invasive biopsies used for diagnosis as well as within a therapeutic strategy in order to monitor treatment efficacy and guide prognoses.
However, the challenge of detecting CTCs as well as isolating them is still high for researchers.
Innovative researchers have developed a simple and cost-effective approach for isolating CTCs from ovarian cancer samples. This is significant as this type of cancer is considered to be one of the most dangerous diseases found in women worldwide.
The team’s strategy consists of using folic acid alongside a nanotechnological component consisting of fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles that are modified with an antifouling hydrogel. This experiment utilized fluorescence through quantum dots which were constructed on iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4) and the folic acid was utilized for specific capturing of CTCs.
The hydrogel utilized illustrated effective antifouling characteristics against peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the use of this strategy resulted in efficient capturing of SK-OV-3 cells, with a 95.8%. Additionally, this simple but effective approach was able to isolate 2–12 CTCs from 10 blood samples belonging to ovarian cancer patients.
Date: March 25, 2022