Class characterization of circulating cancer cells isolated from body fluids and methods of use
AssigneeCell Works Diagnostics, Inc.
InventorsZheng-Pin Wang, Paul O. P. Ts'o
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to the identification and characterization of classes and subclasses of circulating cancer cells, including microtumors from body fluid samples using molecular, cytological, and morphological analyses, and methods for staging patients and measuring the efficacy of medical treatments.
Claims19
A method of classifying epithelial cancer cells in a sample of blood from a patient with cancer or a patient suspected of having cancer, said method comprising:
- isolating circulating epithelial cancer cells from said sample, and classifying said isolated cancer cells as terminal cells or proliferative cells by cytological and morphological analyses using fluorescence microscopy.
A method of determining the presence or absence of epithelial cancer cells capable of causing metastatic cancer, said method comprising:
- (a) isolating circulating epithelial cancer cells in a sample of blood from a patient with cancer or a patient suspected of having cancer;
- and
- (b) classifying said isolated cancer cells as terminal cells or proliferative cells by cytological and morphological analyses using fluorescence microscopy, thereby determining the presence or absence of cancer cells capable of causing metastatic cancer.
A method of determining the efficacy of a medical procedure for treatment of cancer in a patient, said method comprising:
- (a) conducting a first isolation of circulating epithelial cancer cells in a sample of blood from the patient;
- (b) classifying said isolated cancer cells as terminal cells or proliferative cells by cytological and morphological analyses using fluorescence microscopy;
- (c) conducting a second isolation of circulating epithelial cancer cells in a sample of blood from the patient;
- (d) repeating (b) on said second isolated cancer cells;
- and
- (e) comparing the number of said first isolated cancer cells to the number of said second isolated cancer cells, or comparing the classes of said first isolated cancer cells to the classes of said second isolated cancer cells, wherein the first isolation is conducted before the administration of the medical procedure and the second isolation is conducted after the administration of the medical procedure, thereby determining the efficacy of said medical procedure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.