Circulating tumour cells in patients with lung cancer universally indicate poor prognosis

Background: In lung cancer, the relevance of various circulating tumour cell (CTC) subgroups in different lung cancer subtypes is unclear. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the prognostic value of CTCs in the different histological types of lung cancer, with particular respect to CTC subtypes, cut-offs and time points of CTC enumeration.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science and Embase alongside relevant studies evaluating the prognostic value of CTCs in lung cancer patients. A random-effects model was used for meta-analysis, calculating hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals and p-values.

Results: 27 studies enrolling 2957 patients were included. CTC detection indicates poor prognosis, especially in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients (overall survival HR 3.11, 95% CI 2.59-3.73) and predicts a worse outcome compared to nonsmall cell lung cancer patients. Epithelial CTCs predict a worse outcome for lung cancer than mesenchymal CTCs or epithelial-mesenchymal hybrids.

Conclusion: CTCs indicate poor prognosis in patients with primary lung cancer, with CTCs in SCLC having a more pronounced prognostic effect. The prognostic value of CTCs detected by different markers varies; most evidence is available for the strong negative prognostic effect of epithelial CTCs.