Predictive and prognostic value of circulating endothelial cells in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with standard chemotherapy

Purpose Monitoring circulating endothelial cells (CECs) count reflects the tumor vasculature in cancer patients and might be a predictor of response to chemotherapy. We therefore investigated the clinical significance of changes in CECs count after three cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 89 naive NSCLC patients at diagnosis and after chemotherapy. The CECs were quantified by an immuno-magnetic technique and fluorescent microscopy. After chemotherapy, patients were assessed according to the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors as partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) or progression disease (PD). Results Baseline CECs levels were significantly higher in PR patients ( n = 62) than those in patients with SD/PD ( n = 27) ( p = 0.0007). Although there was no significant correlation between baseline CECs levels and progression-free survival (PFS) ( p = 0.287), patients with high percentage change in CECs count after chemotherapy had significantly longer PFS than those with low percentage change ( p = 0.048). Regarding treatment efficacy, CECs count significantly decreased after chemotherapy in comparison with CECs count at baseline in patients with PR ( p