METHOD FOR ASSESSING POTENTIAL FOR TUMOR DEVELOPMENT AND METASTASIS

摘要

The present invention generally provides methods for assessing the potential of tumor formation and/or metastasis using a combination (e.g., a ratio) of the number of circulating tumor cells and the number of circulating cells exhibiting autofluorescence within a selected wavelength region (e.g., red autofluorescence). In one aspect, it is directed to a method for providing likelihood of occurrence of a primary and/or a metastatic cancerous tumor in an animal, which comprises inoculating the animal with a plurality of cancer cells, determining a ratio of a number of cancer cells relative to a number of circulating indicator cells (e.g., immature leukocytes) that exhibit autofluorescence in the inoculated animal's blood and correlating the ratio to a likelihood that the animal will develop at least one primary and/or metastatic cancerous tumor, e.g., by way of assigning a probability for tumor development and/or metastasis based on the measured ratio. The method can also be utilized in human studies using, e.g., contrast agents to identify the circulating tumor cells.