Efficient Propagation of Circulating Tumor Cells: A First Step for Probing Tumor Metastasis.

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) from metastatic breast cancer patients were harvested and grown in vitro for 30+ days in a novel short-term culture method. Additionally, RNA from the buffy coat of 5 healthy donors were sequenced and subjected to culture conditions; 0/5 cultures successfully grew. This new culture method is highly efficient and allows for the molecular characterization of CTCs and identification of potential targets for therapy against tumor metastasis. Using this method, we established 12/12 cultures of CTCs. One sample each from six MBC patients of various receptor subtype (HER2+ n=2; ER/PR+ n=3, TNBC n=1) were sequenced alongside RNA from 5 healthy donors.