Fig. 4
From: Platelets, immune cells and the coagulation cascade; friend or foe of the circulating tumour cell?
Homotypical and Heterotypical CTCs and their clinical relevance in malignancies. For the use of liquid biopsies to reach their full capabilities, CTC isolation technologies are needed to capture the full array of homotypical and heterotypical CTCs that exist in the circulation. Molecular dissection using single cell genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics integration too will reveal the molecular mechanisms that allow for CTCs interactions. This will allow for greater clinical utilisation by identifying the clinically relevant cells and also reveal potential targets for CTC therapeutic interventions. Overcoming these factors must be considered for future CTC enumeration and molecular taxonomy studies