Circulating tumor cells in head and neck cancer: A review

Kyle P McMullen; Jeffrey J Chalmers; Jas C Lang; Pawan Kumar; Kris R Jatana

doi:10.1016/j.wjorl.2016.05.003

Circulating tumor cells in head and neck cancer: A review

World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016 Jul 21;2(2):109-116. doi: 10.1016/j.wjorl.2016.05.003. eCollection 2016 Jun.

Authors

Kyle P McMullen¹, Jeffrey J Chalmers², Jas C Lang¹, Pawan Kumar¹, Kris R Jatana^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
² William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
³ Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.

Abstract

Carcinoma of the head and neck represents 3.5% of all cancers, and the vast majority of these tumors are squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). With a stable overall survival rate of 50% among all stages, there is continued interested in developing measures for early detection and disease aggressiveness. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been identified as a potential marker for early metastatic disease, response to treatment, and surveillance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In this article, techniques of CTC detection, applications of CTC technology, and outcomes of HNSCC patients will be discussed.

Keywords: Circulating tumor cell; Head and neck cancer; Metastasis; Squamous cell.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding