Clinical Significance of Circulating Tumor Cell in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

From literature review, circulating tumor cell was demonstrated its possible role in disease relapse. It was rare nit could be identified in all lung cancer patients. In addition, circulating tumor cell usual aggregate to form circulating tumor micro-emboli and caused distant metastases. Therefore, circulating tumor cell could play a role in detect disease relapse and appropriate treatment could be given more earlier and further prolong patients' survival. However, the detail clinical significance of circulating tumor still remain unknown. The aim of this study was evaluate the clinical significance, including present timing, numbers, and correlation to disease relapse, of circulating tumor cell in lung cancer patients. Investigators want to clarify the clinical significance between circulating tumor cell and clinical presentation of lung cancer in order to establish new prediction model and improve lung cancer patients' survival.