Dynamic expression of Schlafen 11 (SLFN11) in circulating tumour cells as a liquid biomarker in small cell lung cancer

摘要: IntroductionSmall cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with no established biomarkers. Schlafen 11(SLFN11), a DNA/RNA helicase that sensitises cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents, has emerged as a promising predictive biomarker for several drug classes including platinum and PARP inhibitors. Detection of SLFN11 in circulating tumour cells (CTCs) may provide a valuable alternative to tissue sampling.MethodsSLFN11 expression was evaluated in tumour samples and characterised in circulating tumour cells (CTC) longitudinally to determine its potential role as a biomarker of response.ResultsAmong 196 SCLC tumours, 51% expressed SLFN11 by IHC. In addition, 20/29 extra-thoracic high-grade neuroendocrine tumours expressed SLFN11 expression. In 64 blood samples from 42 SCLC patients, 83% (53/64) of samples had detectable CTCs, and SLFN11-positive CTCs were detected in …