Use of circulating cell biomarkers in the blood for detection and diagnosis of diseases and methods of isolating them

A method for confirming a diagnosis of cancer in a subject diagnosed with cancer, comprising detecting Cancer Associated Macrophage-Like cells (CAMLs) in a biological sample from the subject diagnosed with cancer, wherein said detecting comprises:

• (a) isolating intact cells of between about 20 microns to about 300 microns from the biological sample obtained from the subject using a microfilter having pores of about 15-20 microns in size, wherein the biological sample is one or more of peripheral blood, blood, lymph nodes, bone marrow, cerebral spinal fluid, tissue, or urine;
• and
• (b) selecting cells isolated in (a) having the following characteristics:
• (i) multiple individual nuclei and/or large fused nucleoli having a size of about 14-64 pm diameter;
• (ii) morphological shape selected from the group consisting of spindle, tadpole, round, oblong, and amorphous;
• and
• (iii) expression of one or more of the following markers:
• cytokeratin (CK) 8, CK18, CK19, vimentin, Cluster of differentiation (CD) 45, CD11c, CD 14, CD 146, CD202b, or CD31, wherein antibodies are used to select cells expressing the one or more markers, thereby detecting CAMLs in a biological sample from a subject,
• wherein when CAMLs are detected in the biological sample, the diagnosis of cancer is confirmed in the subject.