Tech successful in harvesting cancer cells in brain metastases patients
pharmafile | July 9, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications |
The University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf has published results of new work undertaken in patients with brain metastasis using ANGLE’s cell separation technology, the Parsortix system, in the isolation of circulating tumour cells (CTCs).
The study confirmed the utility of the Parsortix system for the isolation and characterisation of CTCs in brain metastases and that a Parsortix-based blood test may provide additional medical information to inform treatment decisions that could otherwise only be obtained by an invasive tissue biopsy of the patient’s brain.
Liquid biopsy from peripheral blood is a particularly attractive solution in brain cancer because of the difficulty, medical complications, and cost associated with taking a tissue biopsy from the brain.
The characterisation of metastatic tumour cells can be crucial in helping to inform personalised treatment decisions, but, because of the risks involved, most patients with brain metastasis will never undergo a tissue biopsy unless undergoing surgical tumour resection.
In the study, 44 patients with primary breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma with subsequent brain metastases were screened for CTCs using the Parsortix system.
CTCs were detected in 50% of breast cancer patients, 50% of NSCLC patients and 36% of melanoma patients. CTC positivity rates were superior when compared to previous studies into cancer brain metastases which utilised other CTC enrichment technologies, including the leading antibody-based system where positivity rates of 20-22% in breast cancer and 12.5% in NSCLC have been reported.
Brain metastases are the most common type of brain tumour accounting for 88% of all new cases. The incidence of cancer brain metastases is increasing as new therapeutics, advanced imaging, and improved screening have led to increased survival following a primary diagnosis of cancer with approximately 200,000 new cases of brain metastases being diagnosed in the US each year.
Brain metastases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients. Prognosis is poor with life expectancy usually less than a year and a five-year survival rate of only 2.4%. In addition, brain metastases are associated with loss of cognitive and sensory function and, in many patients, lead to a significant reduction in quality of life.
Historically, detection of CTCs from peripheral blood in brain metastasis has been hampered by the blood-brain-barrier which results in fewer CTCs in peripheral blood compared to other metastatic sites and, because these CTCs have a more mesenchymal state, they are poorly detected using antibody-based systems.
Andrew Newland, ANGLE Founder and Chief Executive, said:“This is important new work by the world-leading Hamburg-Eppendorf cancer centre. Professor Wikman and her team have demonstrated the utility of the Parsortix system in isolating CTCs from cancer brain metastases and demonstrated superior CTC positivity rates than those seen in studies using other enrichment technologies.
“Cancer brain metastases cannot be accessed for tissue biopsy without highly invasive procedures and a liquid biopsy alternative would be of great benefit to patients to monitor and optimise treatment.”
The research has been published as a peer-reviewed publication in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Kat Jenkins
