885P - Clinical significance of folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cells detected by ligand-targeted polymerase chain reaction in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using ligand-targeted polymerase chain reaction (LT-PCR) to detect folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cells (FR+CTCs) and their potential role as an auxiliary marker for diagnosis and treatment monitoring in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods

This was a single-center, prospective, non-interventional clinical study at Fujian Cancer Hospital. The study included newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with at least one measurable lesion and a benign control group. Patients underwent comprehensive treatment based on radical radiotherapy, and the level of FR+CTC was dynamically detected after treatment. FR+CTC was quantitated using ligand-targeted PCR and verified using immunofluorescence. The ROC curve was used to determine specificity and sensitivity thresholds, and the AUC was calculated. Comparisons between groups were performed using statistical tests, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 254 subjects were included in the study, including 145 newly diagnosed NPC patients and 109 healthy volunteers. The study found that the level of FR+CTC was significantly higher in NPC patients than in healthy individuals, and the levels were also higher in stage III and IV patients. The FR+CTC detection method had a higher AUC, and the cut-off value between the NPC and control groups was 9.380 FU/3ml, with a sensitivity of 99.1% and a specificity of 79.2%. The study also found that FR+CTC levels were associated with gender, age, TNM stage, and MPTD, but not with the level of EB-DNA. After radiotherapy, most patients showed a significant decrease in FR+CTC levels, indicating the potential of FR+CTC as a dynamic biomarker for monitoring treatment response in NPC.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that LT-PCR technology can accurately detect FR+CTCs in NPC patients. FR+CTC has the potential to be used not only as an auxiliary biomarker for early detection and diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but also as a potential marker for dynamic assessment and monitoring of disease progression, recurrence, and metastasis.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.