Discrimination between Breast Cancer Cells and White Blood Cells by Non-Invasive Measurements : Implications for a Novel In Vitro-Based Circulating Tumor Cell Model Using Digital Holographic Cytometry

• Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. Metastasis is the main reason for death in breast cancer, and today, there is a lack of methods to detect and isolate circulating tumor cells (CTCs), mainly due to their heterogeneity and rarity. There are some systems that are designed to detect rare epithelial cancer cells in whole blood based on the most common marker used today, the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). It has been shown that aggressive breast cancer metastases are of non-epithelial origin and are therefore not always detected using EpCAM as a marker. In the present study, we used an in vitro-based circulating tumor cell model comprising a collection of six breast cancer cell lines and white blood cell lines. We used digital holographic cytometry (DHC) to characterize and distinguish between the different cell types by area, volume and thickness. Here, we present significant differences in cell size-related parameters observed when comparing white blood cells and breast cancer cells by using DHC. In conclusion, DHC can be a powerful diagnostic tool for the characterization of CTCs in the blood.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Medicinteknik -- Medicinsk laboratorie- och mätteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Medical Engineering -- Medical Laboratory and Measurements Technologies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

breast cancer

cell area

cell thickness

cell volume

circulating tumor cell

CD45

digital holographic cytometry

EpCAM

Breast cancer

CD45

Cell area

Cell thickness

Cell volume

Circulating tumor cell

Digital holographic cytometry

EpCAM

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