The Effect Of The Phenotypes And Numbers Of Circulating Tumor Cells In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis

[objective]To investigate the relationship between the numbers and phenotypes of CTCs and liver metastasis,clinical characteristics of HCC patients.[methods]A total of 45 patients diagnosed with HCC admitted in Hepatobiliary surgery of The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2014 to June 2018 was collected.The numbers and phenotypes of CTCs in the peripheral blood of HCC patients were detected by CanPatrol~TMM CTCs,and its relationship with the clinical characteristics of the patients was analyzed.In addition,the positive rate of different phenotypes of circulating tumor cells in HCC patients with metastasis was also compared with those without metastasis.[results]The average number of CTCs in 45 patients was 6.33/5ml peripheral blood.CTCs number was associated with liver metastasis(u=131.50,P=0.034<0.05),KPS level(u=131,P=0.015<0.05),and AFP?20ng/ml(u=163.5,P=0.042<0.05).There was no significant correlation between CTC numbers and gender(u=231.50,P=0.779>0.05),PVTT(u=115.00,P=0.098>0.05),age(u=173.00,P=0.275>0.05),HBV(u=169.00,P=0.883>0.05),Child classification(u=144.50,P=0.144>0.05),and BCLC stage(u=147.50,P=0.448>0.05).The positive rate of epithelial CTCs,mixed CTCs,and interstitial CTCs in HCC patients without metastasis was 41.94%(13/31),48.39%(15/31),and 35.48%(11/31).The positive rate of epithelial CTCs,mixed CTCs and mesenchymal CTCs in patients HCC with metastasis was 64.29%(9/14),57.14%(8/14)and71.43%(10/14).There was a significant difference in the positive rate of mesenchymal CTCs between HCC patients without metastasis and those with metastasis(?~2=5.007,P=0.025<0.05).[conclusion]the number of CTCs in peripheral blood is related to liver metastasis,KPS level and AFP level in patients with HCC.The positive rate of mesenchymal CTCs in HCC patients with metastasis was significantly higher than those without metastasis.Clinical detection of peripheral blood CTCs can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool.However,it still needs to expand the sample size for further verification.