Table 2.
CTC detection and expression of the genes in CD45-depleted peripheral blood at levels higher than those of healthy donors
| Gene | Number of positive samples | % of positive samples |
|---|---|---|
| KRT19 | 20 | 13.6 |
| TWIST1 a | 4 | 2.7 |
| SNAIL1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| SLUG a | 17 | 11.6 |
| ZEB1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| CTC_EP only | 17 | 11.6 |
| CTC_EMT only | 17 | 11.6 |
| CTC co-expressing both markersb | 3 | 2.0 |
| Any CTC | 37 | 25.2 |
aIn one patient sample, there was overexpression of two EMT-inducing TF gene transcripts (SLUG and TWIST1)
bIn one sample there was co-overexpression of KRT19 and SLUG, while in other two samples there was co-overexpression of KRT19 and TWIST1