{"entity":{"id":"paper-guadagni-rgcc-ctc-colorectal-bmc-cancer-2022","kind":"paper","name":"Circulating tumour cell gene expression and chemosensitivity analyses: predictive accuracy for response to multidisciplinary treatment of patients with unresectable refractory recurrent rectal cancer or unresectable refractory colorectal cancer liver metastases","aka":[],"tldr":"In 36 selected people with heavily treated colorectal cancer, a circulating tumour cell workflow predicted response with 47.2% overall accuracy and 5.3% specificity. There was no randomised comparison, and the assay was only one part of a complex treatment programme.","summary":"This retrospective study selected 36 people with unresectable refractory recurrent rectal cancer or colorectal cancer liver metastases. Drugs for intra-arterial chemotherapy and targeted treatment were chosen using chemosensitivity and gene-expression analyses of cultured circulating tumour cells.\n\nThe combined workflow reported 94.1% sensitivity, 5.3% specificity, 47.1% positive predictive value, 50% negative predictive value and 47.2% overall predictive accuracy. The study had no untreated or standard-care comparison group, and the specialised locoregional treatment makes it impossible to isolate the contribution of the assay. RGCC personnel performed the assays and were among the authors.","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"PubMed Central full text","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9202660/"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35710393/"},{"label":"Publisher article","url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-09770-3"}],"tags":["rgcc","retrospective","evidence:limited"],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal"],"sections":[],"technologies":["ctc-capture","functional-drug-testing","liquid-biopsy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["rgcc-international"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"journal":"BMC Cancer","year":2022,"doi":"10.1186/s12885-022-09770-3","pmid":"35710393","authors":"Guadagni S, Masedu F, Fiorentini G, et al.","paperType":"observational","findings":["The reported overall predictive accuracy was 47.2%, with a 95% confidence interval of 30% to 64%.","Reported sensitivity was 94.1%, specificity 5.3%, positive predictive value 47.1% and negative predictive value 50%.","All 36 participants received a multidisciplinary treatment programme; the study did not compare assay-guided care with a randomised standard-care group."],"whatItMeans":"The study shows that the workflow was technically feasible, but its low specificity and uncontrolled design do not establish reliable treatment prediction or patient benefit.","caveats":["Small retrospective selected cohort with no randomised or contemporary control group.","The assay's effect cannot be separated from intra-arterial chemotherapy, targeted treatment and other parts of the programme.","Cut-offs were evaluated in the same small dataset, and culturing circulating tumour cells may alter their characteristics.","RGCC personnel were coauthors and performed the assay work."],"changedPractice":false,"participants":36},"route":"/key-papers/paper-guadagni-rgcc-ctc-colorectal-bmc-cancer-2022/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"}],"technology":[{"id":"ctc-capture","kind":"technology","name":"Circulating tumour cell capture","route":"/technologies/ctc-capture/"},{"id":"functional-drug-testing","kind":"technology","name":"Functional (ex vivo) drug testing","route":"/technologies/functional-drug-testing/"},{"id":"liquid-biopsy","kind":"technology","name":"Liquid biopsy (ctDNA)","route":"/technologies/liquid-biopsy/"}],"company":[{"id":"rgcc-international","kind":"company","name":"RGCC International","route":"/companies/rgcc-international/"}]}}