| Title: |
Ezrin Polarization as a Diagnostic Marker for Circulating Tumor Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma |
| Authors: |
Büdeyri, Ibrahim; Guckelberger, Olaf; Oppermann, Elsie; Roy, Dhruvajyoti; Sliwinski, Svenja; Becker, Felix; Struecker, Benjamin; Vogl, Thomas J.; Pascher, Andreas; Bechstein, Wolf O.; Lorentzen, Anna; Heikenwalder, Mathias; Juratli, Mazen A. |
| Source: |
Büdeyri, I, Guckelberger, O, Oppermann, E, Roy, D, Sliwinski, S, Becker, F, Struecker, B, Vogl, T J, Pascher, A, Bechstein, W O, Lorentzen, A, Heikenwalder, M & Juratli, M A 2025, 'Ezrin Polarization as a Diagnostic Marker for Circulating Tumor Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma', Cells, vol. 14, no. 1, 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14010006 |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
Aarhus University: Research |
| Subject Terms: |
cancer; circulating tumor cells; ezrin; hepatocellular carcinoma; liver surgery; personalized diagnosis and therapy; polarization; single-cell polarity |
| Description: |
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with no precise method for early detection. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) expressing the dynamic polarity of the cytoskeletal membrane protein, ezrin, have been proposed to play a crucial role in tumor progression and metastasis. This study investigated the diagnostic and prognostic potential of polarized circulating tumor cells (p-CTCs) in HCC patients. CTCs were isolated from the peripheral blood of 20 HCC patients and 18 patients with nonmalignant liver disease (NMLD) via an OncoQuick ® kit and immunostained with Ezrin-Alexa Fluor 488 ® , CD146-PE, and CD45-APC. A fluorescence microscopy was then performed for analysis. The HCC group exhibited significantly higher levels of p-CTCs, with median values of 0.56 p-CTCs/mL, compared to 0.02 p-CTCs/mL (p = 0.03) in the NMLD group. CTCs were detected in 95% of the HCC patients, with a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 89%. p-CTCs were present in 75% of the HCC patients, with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 94%. Higher p-CTC counts were associated with the significantly longer overall survival in HCC patients (p = 0.05). These findings suggest that p-CTCs could serve as valuable diagnostic and prognostic markers for HCC. The incorporation of p-CTCs into diagnostic strategies could enhance therapeutic decision-making and improve patient outcomes. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
2073-4409 |
| Relation: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/39791707; info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2073-4409 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/cells14010006 |
| Availability: |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/dc387947-df7a-49f3-99df-f57f35196070; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14010006; https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85214488755 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.EF63B167 |
| Database: |
BASE |