Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide. Tissue biopsy is the current gold standard for the diagnosis and molecular profiling of NSCLC. However, this approach presents some limitations due to inadequate tissue sampling, and intra- and intertumour heterogenicity. Liquid biopsy is a noninvasive method to determine cancer-related biomarkers in peripheral blood, and can be repeated at multiple timepoints. One of the most studied approaches to liquid biopsies is represented by circulating tumour cells (CTCs). Several studies have evaluated the prognostic and predictive role of CTCs in advanced NSCLC. Despite the limitations of these studies, the results of the majority of studies seem to be concordant regarding the correlation between high CTC count and poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Similarly, the decrease of CTC count during treatment may represent an important predictive marker of sensitivity to therapy in advanced NSCLC. Furthermore, molecular characterization of CTCs can be used to provide information on tumour biology, and on the mechanisms involved in resistance to targeted treatment. This review will discuss the current status of the clinical utility of CTCs in patients with advanced NSCLC, highlighting their potential application to prognosis and to treatment decision making.
Keywords: CTCs; NSCLC; epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT); lung cancer; prognosis; treatment.