Considerations for the use of targeted fluorescence contrast agents to detect circulating cancer cell populations with diffuse in vivo flow cytometry

Key Points

• None of the studied contrast agents showed high enough specificity for effective labeling of circulating tumor cells.
• Some agents labeled non-cancer blood cells, resulting in false-positive counts of circulating tumor cells during tests.
• Improving the design and using multiple contrast agents together may enhance specificity in future applications.
• This highlights the need for ongoing development in contrast agent technology to improve cancer detection accuracy.

Abstract