Magnetic particles as promising circulating tumor cell catchers assisting liquid biopsy in cancer diagnosis: A review

As a new type of liquid biopsy, circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection and analysis offers the possibility to monitor metastatic development, cancer recurrence, and therapeutic efficacy in real time. However, the inherent rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs pose great challenges for CTC detection and analysis. Effective CTC capture and detection are therefore of great importance in cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Since virtually all biological materials are diamagnetic or only weak magnetic, magnetic particle-based magnetic capture and isolation methods are promising as CTC catchers. In this review, we focus attention on the progress of technologies utilizing magnetic particles to assist CTCs capture. We summarized the influence of the physicochemical properties of magnetic particles on CTC enrichment, and some general strategies for enhancing CTC capture based on magnetic particles. In addition, we also reviewed some of the application progress of magnetic nanoparticles in CTC capture and analysis. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

As a new type of liquid biopsy, circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection and analysis offer the possibility of real-time monitoring of metastatic development, cancer recurrence, and therapeutic efficacy. The rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs present great challenges, and magnetic particle-based methods show promise for effective CTC capture. Progress has been made in utilizing magnetic particles to enhance CTC capture, which is crucial for cancer diagnosis and prognosis.