Table 1 Merits and drawbacks in three different methods for CTCs expansion
From: The viable circulating tumor cells with cancer stem cells feature, where is the way out?
Method | CDX | Short term | Long term |
|---|---|---|---|
CTC number | High | Low | High |
Patient origin | Advanced stage only | Early and advanced stage | Advanced stage only |
Condition | Experimental animal | 10% FCS medium | Defined serum-free medium |
Sample origin | Organ-vasculature circulation | Peripheral venous or arterial circulation | Peripheral venous or arterial circulation |
Character | Tumorigenic capacity evaluation; complex procedure and individual difference | Differentiation and limited proliferation ability with significant phenotypic alterations | Phenotype stable; maintaining the tumorigenicity in non-adherent status |
Research purpose | Simulate microenvironment in vivo | Expand enough CTCs for downstream analyses | Enrich and expand CTCs to establish patient-derived cell lines for long-term research |
Cost | High | Cheap | Moderate |
Culture cycle | Several months | 1-2 weeks | Several months −1 year |
Successful rate | Low | Moderate | Low |