Fourier-Ring Descriptor to Characterize Rare Circulating Cells from Images Generated Using Immunofluorescence Microscopy

Counts of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been correlated with outcomes in patients with tumors of epithelial origin including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and prostate cancer [1–5]. For these reasons, research has grown over the last decade. Clinically useful CTC counts have almost exclusively been generated using CellSearchTM[6], which is an FDA approved enumeration method that relies on sample enrichment prior to analysis. Recent research has shown, however, that enrichment prior to analysis results in lower counts of CTCs and the potential loss of entire classes of disease-derived rare cells [7].

Source: Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics - October 22, 2014 Category: Radiology Authors: Tegan Emerson, Michael Kirby, Kelly Bethel, Anand Kolatkar, Madelyn Luttgen, Stephen O’Hara, Paul Newton, Peter Kuhn Source Type: research