A preliminary study assessed the link of circulating tumor cells (CTC) with inflammatory biomarkers in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCPRC). The results were published in the journal Life.
The aim of the study was to assess the link between an elevated CTC count and the levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6 and IL-8) and biomarkers (DKK-1, PSA, sHER2, and CD44) in patients with mCPRC under chemotherapy and those with localized prostate cancer (PCa).
The study included 28 patients, including 12 with mCRPC and 16 with localized PCa. Over the study period, the CTC detection rates were 84% overall and 73.5% in patients with mCPRC specifically.
According to the results, the CTC count conducted via the CellSearch System (CTC_CS) correlated significantly with the DKK-1, sHER-2, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentrations in patients with mCRPC. The researchers noted that the CTC counts captured demonstrated no significant association with the concentrations of the tested blood-based biomarkers. The CTC_CS count (area under the curve [AUC]=0.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-1.0) and PSA level (AUC=0.95; 95% CI 0.83-1.0)) presented approximately the same sensitivity and specificity for the overall survival of mCRPC patients.
They researchers concluded that: “For better personalized characterization, further research on CTC phenotyping and their interactions with tumor-associated blood-released factors is needed.”
