Application of circulating tumour cells to predict response to treatment in head and neck cancer.

We found that baseline CTC numbers are correlated with treatment response in patients with HNC. The expression level of cell-surface vimentin (CSV) on CTCs was significantly higher in patients with persistent or progressive disease, thus providing additional prognostic information for stratifying the risk at diagnosis in HNC patients. The ability to detect CTCs at diagnosis allows more accurate risk stratification, which in the future may be translated into better patient selection for treatment intensification and/or de-intensification strategies.