Circulating Tumour Cell Isolation and Molecular Profiling; Potential Therapeutic Intervention

Comprehensive tumour characterisation is indispensable for patients to receive targeted therapy. The use of liquid biopsy, particularly circulating tumour cells (CTC), has shown great promise in the treatment and management of cancer patients. An in-depth understanding of CTCs at the cellular and molecular level can provide clues as to the mechanisms of cancer dissemination and the pathways responsible for conferring intrinsic and acquired resistance to therapeutic agents. Herein, we discuss the current methods of CTC isolation and analysis at the single-cell resolution for therapeutic applications in the management of cancer.