Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are the metastatic precursors to distant disease in head and neck cancers (HNCs). Whilst the prognostic and predictive value of single CTCs have been well documented, the role of CTC clusters, which potentially have a higher metastatic capacity are limited. In this study, the authors used a novel straight microfluidic chip to focus and capture CTCs. The chip offers high cell recoveries with clinically relevant numbers (10⁻500 cells/mL) without the need for further purification. Single CTCs were identified in 10/21 patient samples (range 2⁻24 CTCs/mL), CTC clusters in 9/21 patient samples (range 1⁻6 CTC clusters/mL) and circulating tumour microemboli (CTM) in 2/21 samples. This study demonstrated that CTC clusters contain EGFR amplified single CTCs within the cluster volume. This novel microfluidic chip demonstrates the efficient sorting and preservation of single CTCs, CTC clusters and CTMs. The authors intend to expand this study to a larger cohort to determine the clinical implication of the CTC subsets in HNC.
Keywords: CTC clusters; circulating tumour cells (CTCs); circulating tumour microemboli; head and neck cancers; microfluidic technology.