Defining Liquid Biopsy

Rare Live Cell Capture Empowers Precision Medicine

What are CTCs?

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are tumor-derived cells that enter the bloodstream after detaching from the primary tumor or metastatic sites during cancer invasion and metastasis. Their formation depends primarily on the ability of tumor cells to migrate and breach tissue structural barriers. Once formed, CTCs exist either as single cells or as multicellular clusters in the blood, representing a prerequisite and necessary condition for distant dissemination of solid tumors.