Abstract

Analysis of circulating tumor cells from patients with different types of cancer is nowadays a fascinating new tool of research and their number is proven to be useful as a prognostic factor in metastatic breast, colon, and prostate patients. Studies are going beyond enumeration, exploring the circulating tumor cells to better understand the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, invasion, and metastasis and their value for characterization, prognosis and tailoring of treatment. Few studies investigated the prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells in germ cell tumors. In this review, we examine the possible significance of the detection of circulating tumor cells in this setting.

Keywords

germ cell tumors, circulating tumor cells, biomarkers