Isolation and characterization of living circulating tumor cells in patients by immunomagnetic negative enrichment coupled with flow cytometry

Abstract

This method provides a novel technique for highly sensitive and specific detection and isolation of CTCs in patients with colorectal carcinoma. This method complements the existing approaches for the de novo functional identification of a wide variety of CTC types. It is likely to help in predicting a patient's disease progression and potentially in selecting the appropriate treatment.