Atlas of Liquid Biopsy. Circulating Tumor Cells and Other Rare Cells in Cancer Patients' Blood

1) Introduction
2) Typical Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)
3) Atypical CTCs
4) Endothelial Cells
5) Circulating Tumor Microemboli
6) Giant Macrophages
7) Cells of Undetermined Meaning

This book provides a wealth of images and extensive information on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and other cells usually observed in blood from patients with cancer, such as giant macrophages, and circulating tumor microemboli (CTM).

The field of "liquid biopsy" began with the analysis of CTCs in the early 2000s. In the beginning, molecular techniques were developed to detect these cells in the blood. However, it has since become clear that CTCs initially require a cytopathological analysis to be detected without false positive and negative results. After detection, molecular analysis can be subsequently performed.

Cancer is an important cause of mortality, especially when detected in late stages. Even with all the advances that have been made in its treatment, cancer is still challenging, as many patients do not respond to any therapy. Many health agencies have considered early diagnosis as a feasible tool. In this context, it is of the utmost importance to know the morphology and characteristics of CTCs to determine a correct diagnosis. Currently much of the scientific community is committed to expanding our knowledge of CTCs, and this work makes a valuable contribution, presenting hundreds of cell images from patients with various types of cancer, in many different stages of disease, and after receiving various treatments.

The Atlas of Liquid Biopsy: Circulating Tumor Cells and Other Rare Cells in Cancer Patients' Blood is an essential reference guide for all physicians, biologists, biomedics, and professionals working at clinical and research laboratories, hospitals and research centers.

Ludmilla Thome Domingos Chinen is a pharmacist-biochemist. She graduated from the Federal University of Goias, Brazil, in 1996, obtained her Master's degree in Tropical Medicine at the same university in 2001, and completed her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in 2005. She is currently a senior researcher at AC Camargo Cancer Center, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Her research group was the first in Brazil and Latin America to work with circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and began their studies on this subject in 2012. Since then, they have acquired extensive experience with evaluating methods and performing cytopathological analysis of CTCs, as well as correlating them with clinical aspects. The image bank resulting from the study of cells from patients with various types of tumors will now serve as an essential guide for all professionals working with CTCs.