Circulating Tumor Cells in the Blood of Poorly Differentiated Nasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients: Correlation with Treatment Response

Conclusion: The results implied that CTCs were common even in early TNM stages and might become a potential parameter in evaluating therapeutic effects of radio and chemotherapies.Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a head and neck malignancy with an extraordinary high incidence in Southern China and a high metastasis rate. Analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood is a relatively new prognostic marker for cancer patients.Patients and methods: This retrospective study included data from 38 nasopharyngeal patients with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in TNM stage I (n=2), TNM stage II (n=12), TNM stage III (n=8), and TNM stage IV (n=16). CTCs in peripheral blood of all patients were counted before and 1 week as well as 1 months after radiotherapy.Results: The data showed that in 52.6% of the patients CTCs could be detected in peripheral blood and the numbers were significantly decreased 1 month after radiotherapy treatment (p< 0.001). There was no correlation between CTC number or positivity and TNM stages or other clinical parameters.