Abstract

Tumor dormancy is defined as a “steady state” where circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are present in patients but do not form a large vascularized tumor. This is due to the absence of stimulatory signals or prolonged activation of suppressive signaling pathways (1). These metastatic cells have been partially accounted for tumor recurrence even years after initial therapies (2). Hence, as hallmarks of tumor progression, CTCs supply beneficial information about single tumors and involved mechanisms by which these cells shed from the original tumor site (3). Although different technologies have been proposed for CTC isolation, nanomaterials have a good potential in overcoming this hurdle. The cell capturing abilityandunique structure of biomaterials may provide insights for discovering nextgeneration treatments against metastatic tumors.