**Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells and Circulating Tumor Stem Cells in Breast Cancer by Using Flow Cytometry**

Yanjie Hu, Jin'e Zheng and Shiang Huang

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/63423

#### **Abstract**

[305] L. Zeng, X. Liang, Q. Liu, Z. Yang, The predictive value of circulating tumor cells in ovarian cancer: a meta analysis, Int J Gynecol Cancer, (2015). DOI: 10.1097/IGC.

[306] E.M. Matthew, L. Zhou, Z. Yang, D.T. Dicker, S.L. Holder, B. Lim, R. Harouaka, S.Y. Zheng, J.J. Drabick, N.E. Lamparella, C.I. Truica, W.S. El‐Deiry, A multiplexed marker‐ based algorithm for diagnosis of carcinoma of unknown primary using circulating

[307] E. Fina, C. Reduzzi, R. Motta, S. Di Cosimo, G. Bianchi, A. Martinetti, J. Wechsler, V. Cappelletti, M.G. Daidone, Did circulating tumor cells tell us all they could? The missed circulating tumor cell message in breast cancer, Int J Biol Markers, 30 (2015) e429–433.

0000000000000459

194 Tumor Metastasis

tumor cells, Oncotarget, 7 (2016) 3662–3676.

We demonstrated the value of multiparameter flowcytometry in detecting human tumor cells of breast cancer in peripheral blood, which had a sensitivity limit of 10-5 and higher specificity compares with real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). It was also found that circulating tumor cell (CTC) number was related with TNM stage, metastasis and the overall survival of patients. CTC level was one of the important factors for patients' prognosis. At the same time, we also verified the circulating tumor stem cell (CTSC) was connected with TNM stage by multiparameter cytometry. The detection of CTC and CTSC by multiparameter flowcytometry may be used to diagnose disease at early stage to guide clinical therapy or to predict prognosis. Multiparame‐ ter flowcytometry has the potential to be a valuable tool for prognosis assessment among patients with breast cancer in clinical situation in China.

**Keywords:** circulating tumor cells (CTC), circulating tumor stem cells (CTSC), epithe‐ lial‐mesenchymal transiton (EMT), multiparameter flow cytometry, subtraction en‐ richment
