Identification and clinical significance of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in gastric cancer

Context: There are few reports of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in peripheral blood have been found in patients with gastric cancer. Objective: We quantified EPCs in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer, with the expectation that this approach might lead to a new marker for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Methods: We enumerated CD34+/CD133+ EPCs in the peripheral blood of 145 subjects by use of flow cytometry. Results and conclusion: The quantity of peripheral blood EPCs in patients with gastric cancer are correlated with patient's age. In addition, the number of peripheral blood EPCs in patients with gastric cancer increased with tumor node metastasis stage and histological differentiation of the cancers, and with the operative status of the patients.