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Circulating Cancer Stem Cells (cCSC)- Significance, detection and clinical relevance

^{Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:00:54}

Circulating cancer stem cells (cCSCs) play a crucial role in the development of metastasis and cancer progression. Since their first scientific description in the early 2000s, they have become an increasing focus of cancer research

What are Circulating Cancer Stem Cells?

Tumor cells (CETC/CTC) can shed from a primary tumor and enter the bloodstream. Some of these cells have stem cell-like properties that allow them to self-renew, develop into different cell types, and form new tumors (metastases). These circulating cancer stem cells (cCSCs) are significantly more resistant to many common therapies, making them more difficult to target. They can persist in the body for long periods of time and cause relapses even years later.

Characteristics of tumor stem cells:

Ability to self-renew
Ability to differentiate into different cell types
High resistance to therapies
Increase the aggressiveness of a tumor
Increase the risk of metastases

The stemtrac® method -
detection of tumor stem cells in blood

Laboratory Dr. Pachmann has developed the stemtrac® method, an innovative technique for the detection and analysis of circulating cancer stem cells. Patient blood samples are cultured in the laboratory over a period of three weeks. If cancer stem cells are present in the blood, tumor spheres form - these are three-dimensional cell aggregates that are created by cell division. The number of tumorspheres indicates the aggressiveness of the tumor and the risk of metastasis.

Model of a Tumorsphere,
Photo:Labor Pachmann/Photosphäre

Clinical significance of tumorspheres:

Number of tumorspheres as a biomarker:: The number of tumorspheres can provide information about the aggressiveness of the tumor and the likelihood of metastasis.
Increased number in metastatic patients: Patients with metastases have a significantly higher number of tumorspheres than non-metastatic patients.

Benefits of regular monitoring

Regular testing for cancer stem cells allows the progress of therapy to be monitored and relapse to be detected at an early stage. In addition, the efficacy of drugs can be tested specifically on tumor stem cells.

The main goals of the stemtrac® method:

Monitoring of therapy success
Early detection of relapses
Development of personalized cancer therapies

Recent Research Projects

Cancer stem cells have taken on a central role in cancer research due to their influence on metastasis and therapy resistance in tumor diseases. A study recently published in Scientific Reports by the University and University Hospital of Regensburg in collaboration with the laboratory Dr. Pachmann shows that tumor spheres, cultivated from cancer stem cells circulating in the blood of patients, can be successfully grown on the chorioallantoic membrane of chicken eggs. In this way, special cancer models - so-called patient-derived xenografts (PDX models) - can be created in the laboratory. These allow the growth and behavior of real human tumors to be observed outside the body. This makes it possible to test the efficacy of new drugs and to develop personalized therapies - treatments that are specifically tailored to the tumor of an individual patient. The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) is also working to develop stable cancer models. In one study, tumor cells were isolated from blood samples of breast cancer patients and grown in mice. A signaling pathway was identified that is important for the survival and therapy resistance of tumor cells. Blocking the mediating protein neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) and alternative signaling pathways in the laboratory effectively inhibited tumor cell proliferation.

Future perspectives

Research continues to focus on improving isolation techniques and understanding the unique properties of cancer stem cells. This includes their ability to differentiate and change their phenotype. The laboratory Dr. Pachmann is also constantly working to further develop the stemtrac® method to enable personalized and effective cancer therapies.