Circulating Tumor Cells Predict Response of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Bladder Cancer: A Preliminary Study

Yu-Cing Jhuo; Tai-Lung Cha; Chien-Chang Kao; Yi-Ta Tsai; Sheng-Tang Wu; En Meng; Chih-Wei Tsao; Chin-Li Chen; Hui-Kung Ting; Guang-Huan Sun; Dah-Shyong Yu; Sun-Yran Chang; Ming-Hsin Yang

doi:10.3390/diagnostics13061032

Circulating Tumor Cells Predict Response of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Bladder Cancer: A Preliminary Study

Diagnostics (Basel). 2023 Mar 8;13(6):1032. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13061032.

Authors

Yu-Cing Jhuo¹, Tai-Lung Cha^{1

2}, Chien-Chang Kao^{1

2}, Yi-Ta Tsai^{1

2}, Sheng-Tang Wu¹, En Meng¹, Chih-Wei Tsao¹, Chin-Li Chen¹, Hui-Kung Ting¹, Guang-Huan Sun¹, Dah-Shyong Yu¹, Sun-Yran Chang¹, Ming-Hsin Yang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
² Graduate School of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the existence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and their predictive potential for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). From 33 blood samples of MIBC patients, CTCs were isolated by cell surface markers and enriched by the IsoFlux™ device, followed by morphological and immunofluorescent identification. CTCs were detected at baseline in all samples. Immunofluorescence confirmed the tumor origin. MIBC patients were stratified by NAC response into the disease control (DC) and progressive disease (PD) groups. In the DC group, the number of CTCs decreased significantly after four courses of NAC (p < 0.0001). CTC counts in 7.5 mL after four NAC cycles were highly correlated with postoperative pathological T stage (p < 0.0001). Our study demonstrated that CTCs might represent a valuable predictive marker for NAC response in MIBC. CTC detection in MIBC patients could allow early arrangement of radical cystectomy for NAC non-responders to prevent disease progression while receiving the NAC courses.

Keywords: circulating tumor cells; muscle-invasive bladder cancer; neoadjuvant chemotherapy; radical cystectomy; urothelial carcinoma.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 110-2314-B-016-020-MY3, MOST 110-2314-B-016-019-MY2, MOST 111-2314-B-016-036), grants from the Tri-Service General Hospital Research Foundation (TSGH-C01-112026, TSGH-C03-111031, TSGH-C04-110026), and grants from the Ministry of National Defense–Medical Affairs Bureau (MND-MAB-110-91, MND-MAB-D-111112, MND-MAB-C10-112041) Taipei, Taiwan.