Magnetic particles as promising circulating tumor cell catchers assisting liquid biopsy in cancer diagnosis: A review

As a new type of liquid biopsy, circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection and analysis offers the possibility to monitor metastatic development, cancer recurrence, and therapeutic efficacy in real time. However, the inherent rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs pose great challenges for CTC detection and analysis. Effective CTC capture and detection are therefore of great importance in cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Since virtually all biological materials are diamagnetic or only weak magnetic, magnetic particle-based magnetic capture and isolation methods are promising as CTC catchers. In this review, we focus attention on the progress of technologies utilizing magnetic particles to assist CTCs capture. We summarized the influence of the physicochemical properties of magnetic particles on CTC enrichment, and some general strategies for enhancing CTC capture based on magnetic particles. In addition, we also reviewed some of the application progress of magnetic nanoparticles in CTC capture and analysis.