Abstract

An in vivo photoacoustic flow cytometer (PAFC) is used to monitor circulating tumor cells. By in vitro and in vivo experiments, we detected PA signals from melanoma CTCs and recorded the changes of melanoma CTC numbers in the process of melanoma metastases. The results indicate that our PAFC system has the ability to monitor melanoma CTCs during the melanoma metastases. The counting of circulating tumor cells provides insights in cancer metastasis. It is useful to understand the molecular mechanisms of tumor metastasis.

© 2017 Optical Society of America