Circulating Tumour Cells in Breast Cancer: from discarded technology to new possibilities
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with almost 60,000 new cases each year and incidence rates are increasing. According to CR UK, incidences of breast cancer have increased by 20% since the early 1990s. So what can we do? Early detection saves lives- that is not a slogan, it is a clinical fact. And the tools available to detect, monitor and understand breast cancer are improving.
The next generation of Circulating Tumour Cell (CTC) technology is one of those advances. Here is what it is and what it might mean.
What are Circulating Tumour cells?
When a breast tumour grows, it does not stay entirely in one place. Cancer cells break away from the tumour and enter the bloodstream. These are Circulating Tumour cells or CTCs.
Their presence in the blood is significant. CTC technology is making significant progress- both in enumerating circulating tumour cells and in analysing their biological characteristics.
How could CTC testing be used?
• Prior to treatment — to establish a baseline CTC count and inform prognosis and the selection of treatment options
• During treatment — to monitor treatment response, with rising counts potentially signalling resistance or progression
• After treatment — as part of recurrence surveillance, providing a biological signal that may precede clinical or imaging evidence of relapse
What does this mean?
CTC testing offers something a scan or tissue biopsy cannot: a regular non-invasive window into what is happening biologically. A regular blood test to track tumour biology over time is a fundamentally different experience from a procedure such as a tissue biopsy.
It also means insights might be grounded in more information — we’re looking not just for ‘the scan looks stable’ but ‘your CTC count has remained low since the end of treatment’. For many patients, that reassurance- or early warning- could be meaningful.
Where does Frontier Diagnostics fit in?
At Frontier Diagnostics, breast cancer is at the heart of our clinical focus. We’re working on CTC technology to develop the kind of accurate, actionable information that could genuinely change outcomes.
References
1. 59,413 new cases of breast cancer each year in the UK, 2021-22, CRUK, Cancer Research UK
2. 19.8% increase in incidences of breast cancer in the UK, CRUK, Cancer Research UK
