The combination of size-based separation and selection-free technology provides higher circulating tumour cells detection sensitivity than either method alone in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

These data highlight disparities in the positive rates and enumerated CTC numbers detected by the two techniques. Notably, the combination of the two technologies resulted in the highest CTC-capture rates. Smaller CTCs were more likely to be missed by the FAST as they passed through the filter system. Sizes of CTCs varied with different cell surface marker phenotypes.