Establishment of early diagnosis and treatment of metastasis of soft-tissue sarcoma using liquid biopsy

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K09497
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56020:Orthopedics-related
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Kayo 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 助教 (20456388)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 金森 昌彦 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 教授 (20204547) ; 安田 剛敏 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 准教授 (20377302) ; 渡邉 健太 富山大学, 附属病院, 診療助手 (90865255)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 血中腫瘍循環細胞 / 軟部肉腫 / 肺転移

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In a mouse model of pulmonary metastasis of soft-tissue sarcoma, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood were present from 2 weeks after the primary tumor formed a gross mass and increased as the primary tumor grew. Furthermore, we found that CTCs appeared even before the formation of micrometastases, which may be useful for predicting the appearance of micrometastases if CTC collection can be established. On the other hand, there was no direct relationship between the number of CTCs and the number of lung metastases, and the progression of distant metastases was not defined solely by the presence of CTCs. One of the future issues is to elucidate the colony-forming ability in the circulating blood as one of the factors that determine metastatic potential.

Free Research Field

整形外科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

軟部肉腫の原発巣に対する治療は、広範切除を行うことで成し遂げることができる。しかし、生命予後の改善には、原発巣の確実はな切除に加え、遠隔転移の制御が不可欠である。軟部肉腫の遠隔転移の早期診断として、血中腫瘍循環細胞（CTC）の体内動態の把握および機能解析を進めることは、遠隔転移を制御し、治療成績の向上につながる。