Association of Circulating Tumour Cells With Early Relapse and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Uptake in Resected Non-small-cell Lung Cancers

In a prospective study, the authors analyzed blood samples from 102 patients with stage I–IIIA non-small-cell lung cancers for the presence of circulating tumour cells (CTCs). Samples were taken prior to and one month after radical resection of the primary tumour, and CTCs were detected using immunomagnetic techniques. Presence of postoperative CTCs correlated to the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake of the primary tumour measured on preoperative PET scans and was associated with shorter recurrence-free survival, independent of disease staging.