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01-12-2021 | Glioma | Research article

Telomerase-positive circulating tumor cells are associated with poor prognosis via a neutrophil-mediated inflammatory immune environment in glioma

Authors: Wen Zhang, Tiancheng Qin, Zhenrong Yang, Liyuan Yin, Changyun Zhao, Lin Feng, Song Lin, Binlei Liu, Shujun Cheng, Kaitai Zhang

Published in: BMC Medicine | Issue 1/2021

Abstract

Background

Gliomas are the most common aggressive cancer in the central nervous system. Considering the difficulty in monitoring glioma response and progression, an approach is needed to evaluate the progression or survival of patients with glioma. We propose an application to facilitate clinical detection and treatment monitoring in glioma patients by using telomerase-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and to further evaluate the relationship between the immune microenvironment and CTCs in glioma patients.

Methods

From October 2014 to June 2017, 106 patients newly diagnosed with glioma were enrolled. We used the telomerase reverse transcriptase CTC detection method to detect and analyze the CTC statuses of glioma patients before and after surgery. FlowSight and FISH confirmed the CTCs detected by the telomerase-based method. To verify the correlation between CTCs and the immune response, peripheral white blood cell RNA sequencing was performed.

Results

CTCs were common in the peripheral blood of glioma patients and were not correlated with the pathological classification or grade of patients. The results showed that the presence of postoperative CTCs but not preoperative CTCs in glioma patients was a poor prognostic factor. The level of postoperative CTCs, which predicts a poor prognosis after surgery, may be associated with neutrophils. RNA sequencing suggested that postoperative CTCs were positively correlated with innate immune responses, especially the activation of neutrophils and the generation of neutrophil extracellular traps, but negatively correlated with the cytotoxic response.

Conclusions

Our results showed that telomerase-positive CTCs can predict a poor prognosis of patients with glioma. Our results also showed a correlation between CTCs and the immune macroenvironment, which provides a new perspective for the treatment of glioma.

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Title: Telomerase-positive circulating tumor cells are associated with poor prognosis via a neutrophil-mediated inflammatory immune environment in glioma
Authors: Wen Zhang
Tiancheng Qin
Zhenrong Yang
Liyuan Yin
Changyun Zhao
Lin Feng
Song Lin
Binlei Liu
Shujun Cheng
Kaitai Zhang
Publication date: 01-12-2021
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keywords: Glioma
Glioma
Glioma
Published in: BMC Medicine / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1741-7015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-02138-7

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Telomerase-positive circulating tumor cells are associated with poor prognosis via a neutrophil-mediated inflammatory immune environment in glioma

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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