Minimal Residual Disease and Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer

This important book provides up-to-date information on a series of topical issues relating to the approach to minimal residual disease in breast cancer patients. It first explains how the study of minimal residual disease and circulating and disseminated tumor cells (CTCs/DTCs) can assist in the understanding of breast cancer metastasis. A series of chapters then discuss the various technologies available for the detection and characterization of CTCs and DTCs, pinpointing their merits and limitations. Detailed consideration is given to the relevance of CTCs and DTCs, and their detection, to clinical research and practice. The role of other blood-based biomarkers is also addressed, and the closing chapters debate the challenges facing drug and biomarker co-development and the use of CTCs for companion diagnostic development. This book will be of interest and assistance to all who are engaged in the modern management of breast cancer.

Minimal residual disease and circulating tumor cells in breast cancer: Open questions for research.- Minimal residual disease and breast cancer metastasis.- Self-seeding in cancer.- Microenvironments dictating tumor cell dormancy.- Technologies for circulating tumor cell (CTC) and disseminated tumor cell (DTC) detection and characterization.- Immunomagnetic separation technologies.- Microfluidic technologies for the isolation of CTCs.- EPISPOT assay: Detection of viable disseminating tumor cells in solid tumor patients.- Advances in optical technologies for rare cell detection and characterization.- Size-based enrichment technologies for circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection and characterization.- Emerging technologies for CTC detection based on depletion of normal cells.- Molecular assays for the detection and characterization of CTCs.- Multiplex molecular analysis of CTCs.- Other blood-based biomarkers.- Circulating DNA and next generation sequencing.- Circulating microRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers in breast cancer.- Circulating endothelial cells and circulating endothelial progenitors.- Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in breast cancer clinical research and practice.- Bone marrow DTCs.- CTCs in primary breast cancer.- CTCs in early breast cancer.- CTCs in metastatic breast cancer.- HER2-positive DTCs/CTCs in breast cancer.- DTCs and CTCs in breast cancer -- 5 decades later.- Drug and circulating tumor cell co-development.- Challenges in drug and biomarker co-development.- Challenges and opportunities in the use of CTCs for companion diagnostic development.