Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) for Cancer Diagnosis and Prognosis
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Causes, Screening and Diagnosis".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 25
Special Issue Editor
Interests: circulating tumor cells; miRNAs; cfDNA; gene expression; methylation; mutations; development of sensitive molecular assays
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The study of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has emerged as one of the most promising areas in precision oncology, offering valuable insights into tumor biology, metastatic dissemination, and treatment response. This Special Issue of Cancers focuses on recent advances in the molecular and technological analysis of CTCs, as well as their applications in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and disease monitoring. Particular emphasis is placed on innovative approaches for CTC isolation and characterization, the investigation of genomic and epigenetic alterations associated with disease progression, and the use of CTCs as a liquid biopsy tool to guide personalized therapy. In parallel, the combined analysis of CTCs and circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) represents a powerful strategy to obtain a more comprehensive picture of tumor heterogeneity and evolution, enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of liquid biopsy–based diagnostics. We welcome original research and review articles that highlight the translational potential of CTCs, alone or in combination with cfDNA, bridging the gap between basic science and clinical practice and contributing to improved patient management and outcomes. The aim of this issue is to gather and showcase the most recent developments that establish CTCs as an emerging yet already pivotal component in modern oncological diagnosis and monitoring.
Dr. Athina N. Markou
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- CTCs
- liquid biopsy
- metastasis
- biomarkers
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