Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and the Implementation of Liquid Biopsy (2nd Edition)
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Tumor Microenvironment".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2701
Special Issue Editor
2. Department of Pathology, The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87120, USA
3. UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
Interests: the biology and therapeutic utility of circulating tumor cells (CTCs); liquid biopsies; mechanisms of brain metastasis and dormancy in breast and melanoma cancers; molecular crosstalks between dormant bone-marrow (BM) cells and CTCs; roles of BM and BM cellular heterogeneity interplaying with metastasis and dormancy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue builds upon the foundation of our previous Special Issue, “Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/special_issues/cancers_CTCs), and expands its scope to include the rapidly evolving field of liquid biopsy.
Metastasis remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, yet the mechanisms driving the metastatic cascade are still not fully understood. Tumor cells detach from primary or metastatic sites, enter circulation, and eventually seed distant organs—a process in which circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a central role. The study of CTCs, together with the broader implementation of liquid biopsy approaches, offers a promising and minimally invasive alternative to traditional tissue biopsies, enabling repeated sampling and real-time monitoring of disease progression and treatment response.
This Special Issue, entitled “Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and the Implementation of Liquid Biopsy”, aims to highlight recent advances in CTC biology and detection technologies, and their clinical utility within the liquid biopsy paradigm. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Novel methods for the isolation, detection, and molecular characterization of CTCs;
- Biological and clinical insights into CTC heterogeneity and metastasis;
- The integration of CTC analysis with other liquid biopsy components (e.g., ctDNA, exosomes);
- Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrating the utility of CTCs in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy monitoring;
- Technological innovations enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of liquid biopsy;
- Clinical trials and translational applications of CTC-based liquid biopsies.
We look forward to receiving your high-quality contributions and advancing this promising field together.
Prof. Dr. Dario Marchetti
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- liquid biopsy
- metastatic biomarkers
- CTCs isolation technologies
- tumor heterogeneity
- clinical CTC applications
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