What Part Do Circulating Tumor Cells Play in Cancers？
A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 11
Special Issue Editors
Interests: circulating tumor cells; circulating cancer stem cells; liquid biopsy; therapy monitoring; cancer progression; CAM assay; PDX
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have emerged as a pivotal biomarker in cancer research, providing unique insights into tumor biology, disease progression, and treatment response. These rare cells shed from primary or metastatic tumors into the bloodstream offer a minimally invasive window into tumor heterogeneity and dynamic changes over time. CTCs not only serve as prognostic and predictive indicators but also enable the monitoring of therapy effectiveness, detection of minimal residual disease, and identification of emerging resistance mechanisms. Recent advances in detection technologies, single-cell analysis, and molecular characterization have expanded our understanding of CTCs and their subsets, including circulating cancer stem cells, which may drive metastasis and relapse.
This Special Issue aims to compile cutting-edge research, reviews, and perspectives on the role of CTCs across various cancer types, highlighting translational applications, novel methodologies, and clinical relevance. By bringing together experimental and clinical findings, we seek to foster a deeper understanding of how CTCs contribute to cancer progression and how they can be leveraged for precision oncology.
Dr. Monika Pizon
Prof. Dr. Katharina Pachmann
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- circulating tumor cells (CTCs)
- circulating cancer stem cells (cCSCs)
- liquid biopsy
- therapy monitoring
- metastasis
- cancer progression
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