The identification of specific biomarkers that recognize the functional drivers of heterogeneity in prostate cancer (PCa) and personalized treatment remain challenging in systemic medicine. Liquid biopsy allows for the detection and analysis of personalized predictive biomarkers in single blood samples and specifies the current stage of cancer. The aim of our preliminary study was to investigate the association between an elevated circulating tumor cell (CTC) count and the levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6 and IL-8) and biomarkers (DKK-1, PSA, sHER2, and CD44) in patients with metastasized castration-resistant PCa (mCPRC) under chemotherapy and those with localized PCa. Such an association could be used as a component of cancer progression monitoring. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of two CTC isolation platforms. Twenty-eight patients (12 mCRPC and 16 localized PCa patients) were enrolled. Over the study period, the CTC detection rates were 84% with CellCollector® and 73.5% with CellSearch® System in mCPRC patients. The CTC counts determined by the CellSearch® System (CTC_CS) were correlated significantly with the DKK-1, sHER-2, and PSA concentrations in mCRPC patients. The CTC counts captured by CellCollector® demonstrated no significant association with the concentrations of the tested blood-based biomarkers. The CTC_CS count (AUC = 0.9 (95% CI: 0.72-1.0)) and the PSA level (AUC = 0.95 (95% CI: 0.83-1.0)) presented approximately the same sensitivity and specificity for the overall survival of mCRPC patients. For better personalized characterization, further research on CTC phenotyping and their interactions with tumor-associated blood-released factors is needed.
Keywords: biomarker; circulating tumor cells; prostate cancer.