Circulating tumor cells helps advanced prostate cancer prognostic
July 15th, 2009 Posted in prostate cancer diagnosisCirculating tumor cells (CTCs) have been approved for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration as a useful prognostic tool for the management of patients with advanced prostate cancer. Urologists agree that baseline CTC values provide important prognostic information and have specific predictive value in assessment of risk for metastatic disease.
To date, however, the optimal clinical cut-off levels of CTCs has not been determined, and the predictive value of CTCs in the setting of low-burden advanced prostate cancer has not been evaluated. They are still learning how to use the CTC test to it’s greatest capability in routine clinical practice. Patients and their doctors should be cautious about overinterpretation of the results of CTC tests at this time.