The significance of circulating tumor cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a preliminary study / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate the significance of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC).@*Methods@#Twenty-four patients with HNSCC treated between October 2016 and July 2017 in our department were selected (experimental group), including 23 males and 1 females, aged 47-81 years. There were 14 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of larynx and 10 cases of hypopharynx, including I-Ⅱ stage (5 cases) and Ⅲ- Ⅳ stage (19 cases). All patients were primary and/or relapsed after treatment. Nine healthy volunteers were selected as control group. A novel in vivo capture technique (CellCellector system) was used to detect CTC. SPSS23.0 was used for statistical analysis.@*Results@#The total capture rate of CTC in patients with HNSCC before treatment was 70.8% (17/24), with 40% (2/5) for patients at I-Ⅱ stage, and 78.9% (15/19) for patients at Ⅲ- Ⅳ stage, and was 0 in patients of control group. The total capture rate of CTC in patients with HNSCC after treatment was 50% (8/16). There was no significant correlation between CTC and age, sex, location of tumor or lymph node metastasis (P>0.05). CTC was related to tumor staging and tumor differentiation (P<0.05). The positive rate of EGFRVⅢ in CTC was 26.3% (5/19).@*Conclusions@#The CellCollector system is a very efficient way of detecting CTC, and CTC plays an important role in the occurrence, progression and metastasis of HNSCC.