Use of circulating tumor cell mitotic index in cancer stratification and diagnostics
AssigneeCreatv MicroTech, Inc.
InventorsDaniel Adams, Cha-Mei Tang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are associated with metastasis of malignant solid tumors in a patient. Presented here is evidence that CTCs exhibit cell cycle phase variability and that there is a strong correlation between the number of CTCs in a mitotic cell cycle phase and the prospects for long term survival of the subject from which the cells were obtained. Also presented herein are methods of determining the mitotic cell cycle phase of CTCs from a patient having cancer and using the information in grading malignant solid tumors and predicting the likelihood of survival of the patient.
Claims13
A method for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment in a subject having cancer, wherein the method comprises:
- (a) obtaining a first population of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a first biological sample of a subject having cancer,
- (b) screening the first population for CTCs in a mitotic cell cycle phase,
- (c) identifying CTCs of (b) in a mitotic cell cycle phase,
- (d) administering a cancer treatment to the subject,
- (e) obtaining a second population of CTCs from a second biological sample of the subject after treatment,
- (f) screening the second population for CTCs in a mitotic cell cycle phase, and
- (g) identifying CTCs of (f) in a mitotic cell cycle phase,
- wherein CTCs in a mitotic cell cycle phase are identified using a nuclear stain selected from the group consisting of a DAPI dye, a Hoechst dye, a Sytox dye, and a propidium iodide dye, or a colorimetric stain selected from the group consisting of a H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) stain, hematoxylin, kernechtrot dye, methyl green, and methylene blue, and
- wherein when an increase in the number of mitotic CTCs in the second population versus the first population or an increase in the mitotic index calculated for the second population versus the first population is found, the treatment is determined to be ineffective and an alternative cancer treatment is administered to the subject.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.