Spikes in circulating tumor cell clusters identified immediately preceding death
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Macrovascular infiltration and spikes in circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters are associated with cancer mortality, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in Nature Medicine.
Kelley Newcomer, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues conducted an observational, case-control study involving 21 patients with solid tumors and 10 without known malignancy to characterize end-of-life events related to carcinoma lethality. The findings were complemented by an analysis of a retrospective validation cohort of 1,250 patients with cancer.
The researchers identified spikes in CTC counts, particularly clusters, immediately preceding death; in addition, rapid autopsy indicated pathological evidence of macrovascular infiltration and large-vessel occlusion. In treatment-homogeneous patients with colorectal, lung, ovarian, hepatocellular, or pancreatic cancer, radiological evidence of macrovascular infiltration emerged as the strongest predictor of poor survival, independent of metastasis (hazard ratios, 4.0 to 22.4).
“Surgery or radiation to treat tumors approaching large blood vessels could potentially transform how we diagnose, manage, and treat patients with cancers,” Newcomer said in a statement.
One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry and is listed as an inventor on patent applications related to CTCs.
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