In vivo fluorescence flow cytometry reveals that the nanoparticle tumor vaccine OVA@HA-PEI effectively clears circulating tumor cells

Tumor vaccine therapy offers significant advantages over conventional treatments,including reduced toxic side effects.However,it currently functions primarily as an adjuvant treatment modality in clinical oncology due to limitations in tumor antigen selection and delivery methods.Tumor vaccines often fail to elicit a sufficiently robust immune response against progressive tumors,thereby limiting their clinical efficacy.In this study,we developed a nanoparticle-based tumor vaccine,OVA@HA-PEI,utilizing ovalbumin(OVA)as the presenting antigen and hyaluronic acid(HA)and polyethyleneimine(PEI)as adjuvants and carriers.This formulation significantly enhanced the proliferation of immune cells and cytokines,such as CD3,CD8,interferon-,and tumor necrosis factor-,in vivo,effectively activating an immune response against B16–F10 tumors.In vivofluorescenceflow cytometry(IVFC)has already become an effective method for monitoring circulating tumor cells(CTCs)due to its direct,noninvasive,and long-term detection capabilities.Our study utilized a laboratory-constructed IVFC system to monitor the immune processes induced by the OVA@HA-PEI tumor vaccine and an anti-programmed death-1(PD-1)antibody.The results demonstrated that the combined treatment of OVA@HA-PEI and anti-PD-1 antibody significantly improved the survival time of mice compared to anti-PD-1 antibody treatment alone.Additionally,this combination therapy substantially reduced the number of CTCs in vivo,increased the clearance rate of CTCs by the immune system,and slowed tumor progression.Thesefindings greatly enhance the clinical application prospects of IVFC and tumor vaccines.

Prognostic value of circulating tumor cells combined with neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Circulating tumor cell(CTC)count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)are both closely associated with the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).AIM To investigate the prognostic value of combining these two indicators in HCC.METHODS Clinical data were collected from patients with advanced HCC who received im-mune therapy combined with targeted therapy at the Department of Oncology,the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University,Sichuan,China,from 2021 to 2023.The optimal cutoff values for CTC programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)(+)>1 or CTC PD-L1(+)≤1 and NLR>3.89 or NLR≤3.89 were evaluated using X-Tile software.Patients were categorized into three groups based on CTC PD-L1(+)counts and NLR:CTC-NLR(0),CTC-NLR(1),and CTC-NLR(2).The relationship between CTC-NLR and clinical variables as well as survival rates was assessed.RESULTS Patients with high CTC PD-L1(+)expression or NLR at baseline had shorter median progression-free survival(m-PFS)and median overall survival(mOS)than those with low levels of CTC PD-L1(+)or NLR(P<0.001).Mean-while,patients in the CTC-NLR(2)group showed a significant decrease in mPFS and mOS.Cox regression analysis revealed that alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),CTC PD-L1(+),and CTC-NLR were independent predictors of OS.The time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve of CTC-NLR at 12 months(0.821)and 18 months(0.821)was superior to that of AFP and CTC PD-L1(+).CONCLUSION HCC patients with high CTC PD-L1(+)or NLR expression tend to exhibit poor prognosis,and a high baseline CTC-NLR score may indicate low survival.CTC-NLR may serve as an effective prognostic indicator for patients with advanced HCC receiving immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy.

Circulating tumor cells in pancreatic cancer:The prognostic impact in surgical patients

Pancreatic cancer is associated with a poor prognosis,even in the early stages,mainly due to metastatic progression.New diagnostic techniques that predict unfavorable outcomes are needed in order to improve treatment strategies.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are showing promising results as a predictive biomarker for various tumors.In this editorial we comment on the article by Zhang et al,who published the first systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the prognostic value of CTCs as biomarkers in early-stage pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgery.CTCs were detected in peripheral or central venous system blood,before or during surgery.Positive CTCs showed a correlation with decreased overall survival and decreased relapse-free,disease-free and progression-free survival in this meta-analysis.However,the heterogeneity was significant.The authors suggest that this result was related to the separation methods used between studies,but other differences such as the margin status or the neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments used are also important to consider.CTCs may be a potential prognostic biomarker in pancreatic cancer patients,but it is necessary to compare and standardize the platforms used to isolate CTCs,to compare different biomarkers from liquid biopsy and to determine the impact on prognosis when therapeutic changes are made based on CTCs levels.

Circulating tumor cells as prognostic marker in pancreatic cancer

In this editorial we comment on the article by Zhang et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Clinical Oncology.Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related mortality and has the lowest survival rate among all solid cancers.It causes 227000 deaths annually worldwide,and the 5-year survival rate is very low due to early metastasis,which is 4.6%.Cancer survival increases with better knowledge of risk factors and early and accurate diagnosis.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are tumor cells that intravasate from the primary tumor or metastasis foci into the peripheral blood circulation system spontan-eously or during surgical operations.Detection of CTC in blood is promising for early diagnosis.In addition,studies have associated high CTC levels with a more advanced stage,and more intensive treatments should be considered in cases with high CTC.In tumors that are considered radiologically resectable,it may be of critical importance in detecting occult metastases and preventing unnecessary surgeries.

Circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA in breast cancer diagnosis and monitoring

Liquid biopsy,including both circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA,is becoming more popular as a diagnostic tool in the clinical management of breast cancer.Elevated concentrations of these biomarkers during cancer treatment may be used as markers for cancer progression as well as to understand the mechanisms underlying metastasis and treatment resistance.Thus,these circulating markers serve as tools for cancer assessing and monitoring through a simple,non-invasive blood draw.However,despite several study results currently noting a potential clinical impact of ctDNA mutation tracking,the method is not used clinically in cancer diagnosis among patients and more studies are required to confirm it.This review focuses on understanding circulating tumor biomarkers,especially in breast cancer.

Recent progress in aptamer-based microfluidics for the detection of circulating tumor cells and extracellular vesicles

Liquid biopsy is a technology that exhibits potential to detect cancer early,monitor therapies,and predict cancer prognosis due to its unique characteristics,including noninvasive sampling and real-time analysis.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)and extracellular vesicles(EVs)are two important components of circulating targets,carrying substantial disease-related molecular information and playing a key role in liquid biopsy.Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides with superior affinity and specificity,and they can bind to targets by folding into unique tertiary structures.Aptamer-based microfluidic platforms offer new ways to enhance the purity and capture efficiency of CTCs and EVs by combining the advantages of microfluidic chips as isolation platforms and aptamers as recognition tools.In this review,we first briefly introduce some new strategies for aptamer discovery based on traditional and aptamer-based microfluidic approaches.Then,we subsequently summarize the progress of aptamer-based microfluidics for CTC and EV detection.Finally,we offer an outlook on the future directional challenges of aptamer-based microfluidics for circulating targets in clinical applications.

A pilot study of the relative number of circulating tumor cells and leukocytes containing actin-binding proteins in head and neck cancer patients

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)play an important role in tumor metastases,which is positively correlated with an increased risk of death.Actin-binding proteins,including cofilin(CFL1),profilin 1(PFN1),and adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1(CAP1),are thought to be involved in tumor cell motility and metastasis,specifically in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC).However,currently,there are no published studies on CFL1,PFN1,and CAP1 in CTCs and leukocytes in HNSCC patients.We assessed serum levels of CFL1,PFN1,and CAP1 and the number of CTCs and leukocytes containing these proteins in blood from 31 HNSCC patients(T1-4N0-2M0).The analysis used flow cytometry and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.We found that CAP1+CTCs and CAP1+leukocyte subpopulations were prevalent in these HNSCC patient samples,while the prevalence rates of CFL1+and PFN1+CTCs were relatively low.Patients with stage T2-4N1-2M0 had CFL1+and PFN1+CTCs with an elevated PFN1 serum level,compared with the T1-3N0M0 group.In summary,the PFN1 serum level and the relative number of PFN1+CD326+CTCs could be valuable prognostic markers for HNSCC metastases.The current study is the first to obtain data regarding the contents of actin-binding proteins(ABPs)in CTCs,and leukocytes in blood from HNSCC patients.This is also the first to assess the relationship between the number of CTCs subgroups and disease characteristics.

Circulating tumor cells: Biological features and survival mechanisms

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are neoplastic cells that are detached from primary tumors and enter circulation.Enumeration and characterization of CTCs are of significance in cancer diagnosis,prognosis,and treatment monitoring.CTC survival in the bloodstream is a limiting step for the development of metastases in distant organs.Recent technological advances,especially in single-cell molecular analyses have uncovered heterogeneous CTC survival mechanisms.Undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition(EMT),increasing stem cell-like properties,and forming cell clusters enable CTCs to adapt to the harsh microenvironment of the circulation.Expressing and releasing several immunosuppressive molecules help CTCs escape from anti-cancer immune mechanisms.This review article summarizes the biological characteristics of CTCs and focuses on the recent understanding of the mechanisms by which CTCs survive in circulation.Additionally,the clinical and therapeutic implications of CTCs are discussed.

Clinical implications and perspectives of portal venous circulating tumor cells in pancreatic cancer

Despite recent improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer(PC),clinical outcomes remain dismal.Moreover,there are no effective prognostic or predictive biomarkers or options beyond carbohydrate antigen 19-9 for personalized and precise treatment.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs),as a member of the liquid biopsy family,could be a promising biomarker;however,the rarity of CTCs in peripheral venous blood limits their clinical use.Because the first venous drainage of PC is portal circulation,the portal vein can be a more suitable location for the detection of CTCs.Endoscopic ultrasound-guided portal venous sampling of CTCs is both feasible and safe.Several studies have suggested that the detection rate and number of CTCs may be higher in the portal blood than in the peripheral blood.CTC counts in the portal blood are highly associated with hepatic metastasis,recurrence after surgery,and survival.The phenotypic and genotypic properties measured in the captured portal CTCs can help us to understand tumor heterogeneity and predict the prognosis of PC.Small sample sizes and heterogeneous CTC detection methods limit the studies to date.Therefore,a large number of prospective studies are needed to corroborate portal CTCs as a valid biomarker in PC.

Microfluidic platform for circulating tumor cells isolation and detection

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are essential biomarkers for liquid biopsies,which are important in the early screening,prognosis,and real-time monitoring of cancer.However,CTCs are less abundant in the peripheral blood of patients,therefore,their isolation is necessary.Recently,the use of microfluidics for CTC sorting has become a research hotspot owing to its low cost,ease of integration,low sample consumption,and unique advantages in the manipulation of micron-sized particles.Herein,we review the latest research on microfluidics-based CTC sorting.Specifically,we consider active sorting using external fields(electric,magnetic,acoustic,and optical tweezers)and passive sorting using the flow effects of cells in specific channel structures(microfiltration sorting,deterministic lateral displacement sorting,and inertial sorting).The advantages and limitations of each method and their recent applications are summarized here.To conclude,a forward-looking perspective is presented on future research on the microfluidic sorting of CTCs.

Case Report: Pazopanib Treatment Response in a Patient with Metastatic Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma (Atypical Fibroxanthoma) with Circulating Tumor Cell-Derived Colonies as a Predictive Marker

Atypical fibroxanthomas (AFX) are rare skin tumors. These generally are superficial tumors, usually <3 cm red, fleshy, ulcerated skin lesions, that characteristically occur on sun-damaged skin, sometimes in immunocompromised or previously irradiated patients. These are part of a spectrum of more aggressive fibro-histiocytic neoplasms. In the older literature, these have been termed aggressive or metastatic AFX, but currently these have been reclassified as pleomorphic dermal sarcomas (PDS) and systemic undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS, formerly malignant fibrohistiocytic sarcoma, MFH). We present the case of a 64-year old woman who developed a deeply invasive PDS on the vertex of her scalp invading to the galea, with in-transit scalp metastases. Very little information is available about optimal treatment of metastatic PDS lesions. The patient was initially treated with 2 cycles of epirubicin/ifosfamide chemotherapy, resulting in life-threatening complications. A pretreatment peripheral blood sample was sent for CTC-derived colony assay. This sample grew 8 colonies from 10 ml blood. The tumor failed to respond to epirubicin and ifosfamide, and after several months of hospitalization, a second peripheral blood CTC-derived colony assay grew >376 colonies. The patient could not tolerate additional chemotherapy. She was therefore treated with the oral targeted agent pazopanib. The patient developed a dramatic biopsy-confirmed complete response. After 11 months of pazopanib treatment, a repeat CTC-derived culture sample grew only 8 colonies/10 ml blood. The complete response to pazopanib is still ongoing at over 41 months. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of clinical complete response of a PDS tumor following targeted therapy. An additional novel feature was the demonstration that CTC-derived colonies could be grown from the blood of a PDS patient. The number of colonies appeared to correlate with the clinical treatment response and seemed to function as a potential prognostic marker.

Liquid biopsy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Circulating tumor cells and cell-free nucleic acids

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), with its high incidence and mortality rate, is one of the most common malignant tumors. Despite recent development of a diagnostic and treatment method, the prognosis of HCC remains poor. Therefore, to provide optimal treatment for each patient with HCC, more precise and effective biomarkers are urgently needed which could facilitate a more detailed individualized decision-making during HCC treatment, including the following; risk assessment, early cancer detection, prediction of treatment or prognostic outcome. In the blood of cancer patients, accumulating evidence about circulating tumor cells and cell-free nucleic acids has suggested their potent clinical utilities as novel biomarker. This concept, so-called "liquid biopsy" is widely known as an alternative approach to cancer tissue biopsy. This method might facilitate a more sensitive diagnosis and better decision-making by obtaining genetic and epigenetic aberrations that are closely associated with cancer initiation and progression. In this article, we review recent developments based on the available literature on both circulating tumor cells and cell-free nucleic acids in cancer patients, especially focusing on Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Circulating tumor cells in pancreatic cancer patients:Enrichment and cultivation

AIM: To investigate the feasibility of separation and cultivation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in pancreatic cancer (PaC) using a filtration device.

Liquid biopsy of gastric cancer patients:Circulating tumor cells and cell-free nucleic acids

To improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients, early detection and accurate monitoring of diseases are necessary. Numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to oncogenesis and cancer progression, and analyses of these changes have been increasingly utilized for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes in malignant diseases including gastric cancer (GC). Surgical and/or biopsy specimens are generally used to understand the tumor-associated alterations; however, those approaches cannot always be performed because of their invasive characteristics and may fail to reflect current tumor dynamics and drug sensitivities, which may change during the therapeutic process. Therefore, the importance of developing a non-invasive biomarker with the ability to monitor real-time tumor dynamics should be emphasized. This concept, so called &#x0201c;liquid biopsy&#x0201d;, would provide an ideal therapeutic strategy for an individual cancer patient and would facilitate the development of &#x0201c;tailor-made&#x0201d; cancer management programs. In the blood of cancer patients, the presence and potent utilities of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) such as DNA, mRNA and microRNA have been recognized, and their clinical relevance is attracting considerable attention. In this review, we discuss recent developments in this research field as well as the relevance and future perspectives of CTCs and cfNAs in cancer patients, especially focusing on GC.

Prognostic value of circulating tumor cells in esophageal cancer

AIM To perform a meta-analysis of the related studies to assess whether circulating tumor cells(CTCs) can be used as a prognostic marker of esophageal cancer.METHODS Pub Med, Embase, Cochrane Library and references in relevant studies were searched to assess the prognostic relevance of CTCs in patients with esophageal cancer. The primary outcome assessed was overall survival(OS). The meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model, with hazard ratio(HR), risk ratio(RR) and 95% confidence intervals(95%CIs) as effect measures.RESULTS Nine eligible studies were included involving a total of 911 esophageal cancer patients. Overall analyses revealed that CTCs-positivity predicted disease progression(HR = 2.77, 95%CI: 1.75-4.40, P < 0.0001) and reduced OS(HR = 2.67, 95%CI: 1.99-3.58, P < 0.00001). Further subgroup analyses demonstrated that CTCs-positive patients also had poor OS in different subsets. Moreover, CTCs-positivity was also significantly associated with TNM stage(RR = 1.48, 95%CI: 1.07-2.06, P = 0.02) and T stage(RR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.13-1.84, P = 0.003) in esophageal cancer.CONCLUSION Detection of CTCs at baseline indicates poor prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. However, this finding relies on data from observational studies and is potentially subject to selection bias. Prospective trials are warranted.

Aneuploidy of chromosome 8 in circulating tumor cells correlates with prognosis in patients with advanced gastric cancer

Objective： Previous work indicated that aneuploidy of chromosome 8 in circulating tumor cells（CTCs）correlated with therapeutic efficacy for advanced gastric cancer（AGC） patients. In this follow-up study performed on the same population of AGC patients, we investigated whether and how aneuploidy of chromosome 8 in CTCs correlates with patients＇ clinical prognosis.Methods： The prospective study was performed on 31 patients with newly diagnosed AGC. Previously established integrated subtraction enrichment（SE） and immunostaining-fluorescence in situ hybridization（i FISH）platform was applied to identify, enumerate and characterize CTCs. Quantification of CTCs and analysis of their aneuploidy of chromosome 8 were performed on patients before and after therapy.Results： CTCs were measured in 93.5% of AGC patients, and two CTC subtypes with diverse threshold values were identified, multiploid CTCs with the threshold of ≥2 per 7.5 m L and multiploid plus triploid CTCs with the threshold of ≥4, which were found to significantly correlate with poor progression-free survival（PFS） and overall survival（OS）. In particular, patients with ≥10% increased multiploid CTCs after an initial 6 weeks of therapy had poor PFS and OS, whereas improved PFS and OS were observed on those who had ≥10% decreased multiploid CTCs. After adjusting for clinically significant factors, ≥10% increased post-therapy multiploid CTCs was the only independent predictor of PFS and OS.Conclusions： Aneuploidy of CTCs correlates with prognosis of AGC patients. Quantitative comparison monitoring multiploid CTCs before and after therapy may help predict improved or inferior prognosis and chemoresistance.

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)in breast cancer:a diagnostic tool for prognosis and molecular analysis

Metastatic breast cancer （MBC） is characterized by a combination of tumor growth, proliferation and metastatic progression and is typically managed with palliative intent. The benefit of standard systemic therapies is relatively limited and the disease is considered incurable suggesting the need to investigate the biological drivers of the various phases of the metastatic process in order to improve the selection of molecularly driven therapies. The detection, enumeration and molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells （CTCs） provide an intriguing opportunity to advance this knowledge. CTCs enumerated by the Food and Drugs Administration-cleared CellSearchTM system are an independent prognostic factor of progression- free survival （PFS） and overall survival （OS） in MBC patients. Several published papers demonstrated the poor prognosis for MBC patients that presented basal CTC count _〉5 in 7.5 mL of blood. Therefore, the enumeration of CTCs during treatment for MBC provides a tool with the ability to predict progression of disease earlier than standard timing of anatomical assessment using conventional radiological tests. During the metastatic process cancer cells exhibit morphological and phenotypic plasticity undergoing epithelial- mesenchymal transition （EMT）. This important phenomenon is associated with down regulation of epithelial marker （e.g., EpCAM） with potential limitations in the applicability of current CTCs enrichment methods. Such observations translated in a number of investigations aimed at improving our capabilities to enumerate and perform molecular characterization of CTCs. Theoretically, the phenotypic analysis of CTCs can represent a ＂liquid＂ biopsy of breast tumor that is able to identify a new potential target against the metastatic disease and advance the development and monitoring of personalized therapies.

Combined peripheral natural killer cell and circulating tumor cell enumeration enhance prognostic efficiency in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Objective：Triple-negative breast cancer（TNBC）is a heterogeneous disease with poor prognosis.Circulating tumor cells（CTCs）are a promising predictor for breast cancer prognoses but their reliability regarding progression-free survival（PFS）is controversial.We aim to verify their predictive value in TNBC.Methods：In present prospective cohort study,we used the Pep@MNPs method to enumerate CTCs in baseline blood samples from 75 patients with TNBC（taken at inclusion in this study）and analyzed correlations between CTC numbers and outcomes and other clinical parameters.Results：Median PFS was 6.0（range：1.0–25.0）months for the entire cohort,in whom we found no correlations between baseline CTC status and initial tumor stage（P=0.167）,tumor grade（P=0.783）or histological type（P=0.084）.However,among those getting first-line treatment,baseline CTC status was positively correlated with ratio of peripheral natural killer（NK）cells（P=0.032）,presence of lung metastasis（P=0.034）and number of visceral metastatic site（P=0.037）.Baseline CTC status was predictive for PFS in first-line TNBC（P=0.033）,but not for the cohort as a whole（P=0.118）.This prognostic limitation of CTC could be ameliorated by combining CTC and NK cell enumeration（P=0.049）.Conclusions：Baseline CTC status was predictive of lung metastasis,peripheral NK cell ratio and PFS in TNBC patients undergoing first-line treatment.We have developed a combined CTC-NK enumeration strategy that allows us to predict PFS in TNBC without any preconditions.

Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Breast Cancer:Monitoring Response to Chemotherapy and Predicting Progression-Free Survival

Objective:The purpose of this study is to explore RT-PCR method to set up the examination platform for detecting circulating tumor cells(CTC) in peripheral blood from metastatic breast cancer patients.The primary endpoint is to find out the correlation of existence of CTC with clinical responses and progression-free survival(PFS).Methods:The breast cancer cell line MCF-7 was serially diluted into the peripheral blood from 45 healthy donors to set up the sensitivity of RT-PCR assay.The expression of CK19 mRNA was amplified from both 49 patients and 45 healthy donors respectively.The CK19 protein quantity from plasma was measured by competitive inhibition ELISA assay.Results:The sensitivity of RT-PCR could reach 1/106?107 white blood cells with specificity of 95.6%.The objective response rate(ORR) of patients with CK19 mRNA-negative undertaken one cycle chemotherapy was significantly higher than those with positive(P0.0001).PFS among CK19 mRNA-negative patients was also increased,although there was no significance(P=0.098).The results of ELISA assay showed that CK19 protein was decreased significantly after one cycle chemotherapy,which gave rise to a little higher ORR(P=0.015) and increased PFS(P=0.016).Conclusion:Patients with unamplified CK19 mRNA after one cycle chemotherapy could achieve better radiographic evaluation and increased PFS,which was showed to be of consistency with the CK19 protein assay among the patients treated.

Incorporation of circulating tumor cells and whole-body metabolic tumor volume of 18F-FDG PET/CT improves prediction of outcome inⅢB stage small-cell lung cancer

Objective: We investigated the correlation between the number of circulating tumor cells(CTCs) and wholebody metabolic tumor volume(WBMTV) measured by 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT).The aim was to evaluate the value of the incorporation of CTC number and WBMTV in the prognostic prediction of stage III small-cell lung cancer(SCLC).Methods: One hundred and twenty-nine patients were enrolled in this study.All patients were treated with four cycles of a platinum-based regimen and concurrent chest irradiation,followed by prophylactic cranial irradiation.Blood samples for CTC analysis were obtained from 112 patients before the initiation of chemotherapy(as a baseline),after cycle 1 and after cycle 4.CTCs were measured using the CELLSEARCH? system.The patients underwent pretreatment FDG PET/CT WBMTV,which included all malignant lesions.The Spearman rank test was used to determine the correlation among CTC counts,WBMTV and disease stage.Overall survival(OS) and progression-free survival(PFS) curves were produced using the Kaplan-Meier method,and survival differences between groups were assessed by the log-rank test.Results: The number of CTCs at baseline did not correlate with WBMTV before the initiation of therapy(P=0.241).The number of CTCs at baseline and the WBMTV before the initiation of therapy were independent relevant factors for PFS and OS.The subgroup analysis(Group A: CTC count >19.5 and a WBMTV >266.5cm~3;Group B: CTC count >19.5 and a WBMTV ≤266.5cm~3; Group C: CTC count ≤19.5 and a WBMTV >266.5cm~3;Group D: CTC count ≤19.5 and a WBMTV ≤266.5cm~3) showed that the differences were statistically significant in the median PFS(Group A vs.D,P<0.001; Group B vs.D,P=0.018; Group C vs.D,P=0.029) and in the median OS(Group A vs.D,P<0.001; Group B vs.D,P=0.012).Conclusions: CTC number and WBMTV are related to progression and death in patients with SCLC.The incorporation of CTC number and WBMTV scans can provide a detailed prognostic prediction for SCLC.