Current detection technologies for circulating tumor cells

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that circulate in the blood stream after being naturally shed from original or metastatic tumors, and can lead to a new fatal metastasis. CTCs have become a hotspot research field during the last decade. Detection of CTCs, as a liquid biopsy of tumors, can be used for early diagnosis of cancers, earlier evaluation of cancer recurrence and chemotherapeutic efficacy, and choice of individual sensitive anti-cancer drugs. Therefore, CTC detection is a crucial tool to fight against cancer. Herein, we classify the currently reported CTC detection technologies, introduce some representative samples for each technology, conclude the advantages and limitations, and give a future perspective including the challenges and opportunities of CTC detection.