Skip to main content

Circulating tumor cells from patients with advanced prostate and breast cancer display both epithelial and mesenchymal markers.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Armstrong, AJ; Marengo, MS; Oltean, S; Kemeny, G; Bitting, RL; Turnbull, JD; Herold, CI; Marcom, PK; George, DJ; Garcia-Blanco, MA
Published in: Mol Cancer Res
August 2011

During cancer progression, malignant cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transitions (MET) as part of a broad invasion and metastasis program. We previously observed MET events among lung metastases in a preclinical model of prostate adenocarcinoma that suggested a relationship between epithelial plasticity and metastatic spread. We thus sought to translate these findings into clinical evidence by examining the existence of EMT in circulating tumor cells (CTC) from patients with progressive metastatic solid tumors, with a focus on men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and women with metastatic breast cancer. We showed that the majority (> 80%) of these CTCs in patients with metastatic CRPC coexpress epithelial proteins such as epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), cytokeratins (CK), and E-cadherin, with mesenchymal proteins including vimentin, N-cadherin and O-cadherin, and the stem cell marker CD133. Equally, we found that more than 75% of CTCs from women with metastatic breast cancer coexpress CK, vimentin, and N-cadherin. The existence and high frequency of these CTCs coexpressing epithelial, mesenchymal, and stem cell markers in patients with progressive metastases has important implications for the application and interpretation of approved methods to detect CTCs.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Mol Cancer Res

DOI

EISSN

1557-3125

Publication Date

August 2011

Volume

9

Issue

8

Start / End Page

997 / 1007

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Prostatic Neoplasms
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
  • Developmental Biology
  • Breast Neoplasms
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Armstrong, A. J., Marengo, M. S., Oltean, S., Kemeny, G., Bitting, R. L., Turnbull, J. D., … Garcia-Blanco, M. A. (2011). Circulating tumor cells from patients with advanced prostate and breast cancer display both epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Mol Cancer Res, 9(8), 997–1007. https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-10-0490
Armstrong, Andrew J., Matthew S. Marengo, Sebastian Oltean, Gabor Kemeny, Rhonda L. Bitting, James D. Turnbull, Christina I. Herold, Paul K. Marcom, Daniel J. George, and Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco. “Circulating tumor cells from patients with advanced prostate and breast cancer display both epithelial and mesenchymal markers.Mol Cancer Res 9, no. 8 (August 2011): 997–1007. https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-10-0490.
Armstrong AJ, Marengo MS, Oltean S, Kemeny G, Bitting RL, Turnbull JD, et al. Circulating tumor cells from patients with advanced prostate and breast cancer display both epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Mol Cancer Res. 2011 Aug;9(8):997–1007.
Armstrong, Andrew J., et al. “Circulating tumor cells from patients with advanced prostate and breast cancer display both epithelial and mesenchymal markers.Mol Cancer Res, vol. 9, no. 8, Aug. 2011, pp. 997–1007. Pubmed, doi:10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-10-0490.
Armstrong AJ, Marengo MS, Oltean S, Kemeny G, Bitting RL, Turnbull JD, Herold CI, Marcom PK, George DJ, Garcia-Blanco MA. Circulating tumor cells from patients with advanced prostate and breast cancer display both epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Mol Cancer Res. 2011 Aug;9(8):997–1007.

Published In

Mol Cancer Res

DOI

EISSN

1557-3125

Publication Date

August 2011

Volume

9

Issue

8

Start / End Page

997 / 1007

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Prostatic Neoplasms
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
  • Developmental Biology
  • Breast Neoplasms