Liquid biopsy for esophageal cancer

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K10598
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Digestive surgery
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Fujita Shotaro 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (20769640)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大木 進司 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 特任教授 (20381361) ; 岡山 洋和 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (20583397) ; 河野 浩二 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (40283204)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 食道癌 / Liquid biopsy / Circulating tumor cells

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The study aimed to develop liquid biopsy-based biomarkers that can be predictive of the efficacy of pre-operative treatment and of therapeutic outcomes for clinical stage II and III patients with esophageal cancer who treated by pre-operative chemotherapy followed by curative surgery. As of May 2020, we collected blood samples from 31 esophageal cancer patients before and after chemotherapy and circulating tumor cells (CTC) were examined based on a platform that can quantitatively detect not only epithelial type CTC but also mesenchymal type CTC. We are currently conducting sample/clinical data collection and statistical analysis to determine whether the types and counts of CTCs are associated with pre-therapeutic/post-therapeutic clinical factors, clinical/pathological treatment response, and survival outcomes.

Free Research Field

消化管癌

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究が検出する間葉型または上皮型のCTC定量を用いたLiquid biopsyと、術前化学療法効果、臨床転帰との関連を検討することは、これまでのCTC研究から1段階進んだ独自性の高い研究である。手法が確立すればバイオマーカーとして臨床応用への展開が期待される。