Aim: To examine the prognostic values of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with advanced lung cancer.
Patients and methods: A total of 98 patients with their CTCs enumerated in 2017 was recruited. Data were retrieved from medical records for comparison. Patients’ overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were studied using Kaplan-Meier curve with log rank test.
Results: Seventy-three percent of the patients were male, and nearly half of the patients (44.8%) were smokers. Most tumors were adenocarcinoma (73.4%), and about 60% of the cases were diagnosed at stage IV. Half of the patients showing less than nine CTCs. Patients’ OS were significantly associated with total CTC count (P =0.047), epithelial CTC count (P =0.027), mixed CTC count (P =0.004), and use of adjuvant chemotherapy (P =0.001). For PFS, it was strongly associated with tumor backgrounds (T stage, P =0.002; M stage, P =0.001; TMN stage, P <0.001), cancer biomarkers (CEA, P =0.004; CA125, P =0.004; CA153, P =0.045), and treatment strategy (surgical intervention, P =0.025; first-line chemotherapy, P <0.001).
Conclusion: The present study clearly indicated the significant associations between CTC and overall survival of patients with lung cancer.
Keywords: circulating tumor cells, survival, lung cancer, prognostic values