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A circulating tumor cell (CTC) is a cancer cell from a primary tumor that has shed into the blood of the circulatory system, or the lymph of the lymphatic system. [1] CTCs are carried around the body to other organs where they may leave the circulation and become the seeds for the subsequent growth of secondary tumors .
Researchers still question whether this treatment method to rid the body of this small cluster of cells that may or may not progress is worth the side effects that it may cause. [6] Side effects include fatigue, hair loss, nausea, or vomiting. In addition, adjuvant therapies do not always result in a cure and they do not benefit all patients.
There are a few possible causes of resistance in cancer, one of which is the presence of small pumps on the surface of cancer cells that actively move chemotherapy from inside the cell to the outside. Cancer cells produce high amounts of these pumps, known as p-glycoprotein, in order to protect themselves from chemotherapeutics. Research on p ...
When tumor cells metastasize, the new tumor is called a secondary or metastatic tumor, and its cells are similar to those in the original or primary tumor. [9] This means that if breast cancer metastasizes to the lungs, the secondary tumor is made up of abnormal breast cells, not of abnormal lung cells.
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. [3] [4] Cancer can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms are often nonspecific, meaning they may be general phenomena that do not point directly to a specific disease process.
If the alterations match, the secondary tumor can be identified as metastatic; whereas if the alterations differ, the secondary tumor can be identified as a distinct primary tumor. [21] For example, people with tumors have high levels of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) due to tumor cells that have gone through apoptosis. [22]
[24] [23] These patients typically present with a sudden clinical deterioration that can be characterized by unexplained fevers or weight loss, asymmetric and rapid growth of lymph nodes, and/or a significant drop in the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets. [23]
Cancer cells are cells that divide continually, forming solid tumors or flooding the blood or lymph with abnormal cells. Cell division is a normal process used by the body for growth and repair. A parent cell divides to form two daughter cells, and these daughter cells are used to build new tissue or to replace cells that have died because of ...