The Isolation and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells from Head and Neck Cancer Patient Blood Samples Using Spiral Microfluidic Technology

Metastasis is responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths. The study of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) enables the study of the units of disease responsible for the process of metastasis. While the biology of the primary tissue is relatively known, little is understood about the cells en route to distant sites. Here we describe the isolation of CTCs using the spiral microfluidic technology for the efficient sorting of CTCs from head and neck cancer (HNC) patient blood samples. Furthermore, the molecular characterization of CTCs can aid in stratifying patients for targeted therapy such as immunotherapy, which is having a profound impact in the treatment of metastatic HNC.