ArticleBMC cancer2021
Usefulness of monitoring circulating tumor cells as a therapeutic biomarker in melanoma with BRAF mutation.
Article in BMC cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Oncofetal chondroitin sulfate positive circulating tumor cells as prognostic biomarkers in early-stage melanoma.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Circulating tumor cells as biomarkers in melanoma: techniques, challenges, and clinical applications.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Pair-matched analysis of Circulating Melanoma Cells (CMCs) before and after Immunotherapy in Relation to other Melanoma-Specific Biomarkers.Journal of Cancer · 2025Article
- Circulating tumor cells: from new biological insights to clinical practice.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2024Review
- Dielectrophoretic capture and electrochemical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of single melanoma cells at an array of interlocked spiral bipolar electrodes.ChemElectroChem · 2024Article
- Susceptibility of Melanoma Cells to Targeted Therapy Correlates with Protection by Blood Neutrophils.Cancers · 2024Article
- The integrated on-chip isolation and detection of circulating tumour cells.Sensors & diagnostics · 2024Review
- Orthotopic model for the analysis of melanoma circulating tumor cells.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Review
- Bio-Impedance Spectroscopy of Retained Cells Using a Micro-Perforated Sensing Membrane Filtrating Whole Blood Samples under High Flowrate.Biosensors · 2023Article
- BRAF Mutations in Melanoma: Biological Aspects, Therapeutic Implications, and Circulating Biomarkers.Cancers · 2023Review
- Article
- Liquid biopsy for monitoring of tumor dormancy and early detection of disease recurrence in solid tumors.Cancer metastasis reviews · 2023Review
- Metastatic Melanoma: Liquid Biopsy as a New Precision Medicine Approach.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Article
- Dynamic expression of Schlafen 11 (SLFN11) in circulating tumour cells as a liquid biomarker in small cell lung cancer.British journal of cancer · 2022Article
- Current Trends in Circulating Biomarkers for Melanoma Detection.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Circulating tumor cells: biology and clinical significance.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2021Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundWhile molecularly targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved the prognosis of advanced melanoma, biomarkers are required to monitor drug responses. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are released from primary and/or metastatic tumors into the peripheral blood. We examined whether CTCs have potential as biomarkers by checking the number of CTCs, as well as the BRAF genotype of individual CTCs, in melanoma patients undergoing BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment.
methodsCTCs were isolated from peripheral blood using a high-density dielectrophoretic microwell array, followed by labeling with melanoma-specific markers (MART-1 and/or gp100) and a leukocyte marker (CD45). The numbers of CTCs were analyzed in fifteen patients with stage 0-III melanoma. Furthermore, changes in CTC numbers were assessed in five patients with stage IV melanoma at four time points during BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment, and the BRAF genotype was analyzed in CTCs isolated from one patient.
resultsWe examined CTCs in patients with stage 0-III (five samples per stage: stage 0-I, stage II, and stage III), and detected CTCs even in patients with early disease (stage 0 and I). Interestingly, recurrence occurred in the lymph nodes of one stage I patient 2 years after the detection of a high number of CTCs in the patient's blood. The total number of CTCs in four of five patients with stage IV melanoma fluctuated in response to BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment, suggesting that CTC number has potential for use as a drug response marker in advanced disease patients. Interestingly, one of those patients had CTCs harboring seven different BRAF genotypes, and the mutated CTCs disappeared upon BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment, except for those harboring BRAF
conclusionsCTCs are present even in the early stage of melanoma, and the number of CTCs seems to reflect patients' responses to BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment. Furthermore, genetic heterogeneity of BRAF may contribute to resistance to BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of CTC analysis for monitoring responses to targeted therapies in melanoma patients, and for understanding the mechanism of drug resistance.
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