Circulating Tumor Cells as Potential Biomarkers in Bladder Cancer.

Purpose: We explored the diagnostic use of circulating tumor cells in patients with neoadjuvant bladder cancer using enumeration and next generation sequencing.Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients with bladder cancer who were eligible for cisplatin based neoadjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in an institutional review board approved study. Subjects underwent blood draws at baseline and after 1 cycle of chemotherapy. A total of 11 patients with metastatic bladder cancer and 13 healthy donors were analyzed for comparison. Samples were enriched for circulating tumor cells using the novel IsoFlux™ System microfluidic collection device. Circulating tumor cell counts were analyzed for repeatability and compared with Food and Drug Administration cleared circulating tumor cells. Circulating tumor cells were also analyzed for mutational status using next generation sequencing.Results: Median circulating tumor cell counts were 13 at baseline and 5 at followup in the neoadjuvant group, 29 in the metastatic...