Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33888992›Full record

ArticleOncoTargets and therapy2021

3D Culture of Circulating Tumor Cells for Evaluating Early Recurrence and Metastasis in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Cong-Li Hu, Yan-Jun Zhang, Xiao-Feng Zhang, Xiang Fei, Hai Zhang, Chun-Guang Li, Bin Sun

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in OncoTargets and therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Cong-Li HuTranslational Medicine Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201620, People's Republic of China.
Yan-Jun ZhangSchool of Health and Social Care, Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, Shanghai, 201415, People's Republic of China.
Xiao-Feng ZhangDepartment of Molecular Oncology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgical Hospital & National Center for Liver Cancer, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.
Xiang FeiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.
Hai ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201204, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-9177-3855
Chun-Guang LiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.
Bin SunDepartment of Molecular Oncology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgical Hospital & National Center for Liver Cancer, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-5082-3326
Second Military Medical University · CNShanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCirculating tumor cells (CTCs) are considered to be a key factor involved in tumor metastasis. However, the isolation and culture of CTCs in vitro remains challenging, and their clinical application for predicting prognosis and survival is still limited. The development of accurate evaluating system for CTCs will benefit for clinical assessment of HCC.

methodsDensity gradient centrifugation and magnetic separation based on CD45 antibody were used to isolate CTCs. 3D culture was used to maintain and amplify CTCs and HCC cells. Cellular immunofluorescence was used to identify CTCs and spheroids. The cutoff value of CTC spheroid was calculated using X-tile software. The relationship between clinicopathological variables and CTC spheroids in HCC patients is analyzed. In vivo models were used to evaluate tumor growth and metastasis of CTC spheroids.

resultsPatient-derived CTCs/HCC cells were isolated and expanded to form spheroids using 3D culture. CTC spheroids could be used to predict short-term recurrence of CTCs compared with conventional CTC enumeration. Different cell lines exhibited different formation rates and grew to different sizes. Identification of CTC spheroids revealed that EpCAM and β-catenin were expressed in spheroids derived from HCC cells and in the HCC/CTCs. EpCAM-positive HCC cells exhibited improved spheroid formation in 3D culture and were more tumorigenic and likely to metastasize to the lung in vivo. Abnormal activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was observed in EpCAM positive cells.

conclusionCTC spheroids could predict prognosis of HCC more precisely compared with conventional CTC enumeration. EpCAM may participate in the formation and survival of CTC spheroids which dependent on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Indexed as

3D culturecirculating tumor cellsearly recurrencehepatocellular carcinomametastasis

Identifiers

PMID33888992
PMCPMC8057830
OpenAlexW3156196511

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.