Global Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market Size (2024 - 2029)

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market Analysis

The circulating tumor cells (CTC) market is expected to register a CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period (2022-2027).

The COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare systems globally and resulted in the interruption of usual care in many healthcare facilities, exposing vulnerable patients with cancer to significant risks. For instance, a study titled "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Care: A Global Collaborative Study" in September 2020 reported that a total of 356 centers from 54 countries across six continents participated between April 21 and May 8, 2020. These centers serve 716,979 new patients with cancer every year. Most of them (88.2%) reported facing challenges in delivering care during the pandemic. Although 55.34% reduced services as part of a preemptive strategy, other common reasons included an overwhelmed system (19.94%), lack of personal protective equipment (19.10%), staff shortage (17.98%), and restricted access to medications (9.83%). Thus, this indicates that due to COVID-19, there were disruptions in cancer care regarding reduced chemotherapy and radiotherapy services and ongoing research and development studies, thereby impacting the market growth.

Additionally, the study "Association of COVID-19 Lockdown With the Tumor Burden in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Colorectal Cancer," published in September 2021, evaluated the effect of COVID-19-induced lockdown on newly diagnosed colorectal cancer cases through circulating tumor DNA and reported that tumor burden in patients who received a diagnosis after the lockdown was significantly higher compared with those who were diagnosed before the lockdown. This study indicated that the tumor burden increased during COVID-19 significantly and thus dramatically impacted the market growth.

The major factors for the growth of the circulating tumor cells (CTC) market include the advancements in biomedical imaging and bioengineering technology; the rising demand for preventive medicine and companion diagnostics; and the growing prevalence of cancer.

The global cancer burden is increasing; thus, cancer therapies must be modified according to regional and national priorities. For instance, according to the September 2021 update by the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer accounted for approximately 10 million worldwide deaths in 2020. The most common in 2020 (in terms of new cases of cancer) were: breast (2.26 million cases); lung (2.21 million cases); colon and rectum (1.93 million cases); prostate (1.41 million cases); skin (non-melanoma) (1.20 million cases); and stomach (1.09 million cases).

In addition, as per the 2020 statistics by Globocan, 19,292,789 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2020. As per the same source mentioned above, the number of people with cancer is estimated to reach 30.2 million by 2040. The increasing cancer burden is due to several factors, such as population growth and aging and the changing prevalence of specific causes of cancer linked to social and economic development. For instance, as per the World Health Organization (WHO), in September 2021, about one-third of deaths from cancer are due to tobacco use, high body mass index, alcohol use, low fruit and vegetable intake, and lack of physical activity. Thus, increasing tobacco consumption is expected to cause an increase in the prevalence of cancer, thereby contributing to market growth.

Moreover, the positive results from the recent clinical studies in the market may also boost and lead to significant market growth in the future. For instance, a study titled "Heat Shock Protein (HSP) 70 to Quantify and Characterize Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Tumors" was initiated in February 2021 to evaluate the ability of heat shock protein HSP70 to isolate and quantify circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with advanced or metastatic tumors. 

Thus, owing to the factors above, the studied market is expected to grow significantly during the study period. However, technical difficulties in the detection and characterization of CTCs associated with the high cost of diagnosis, lack of awareness, and unwillingness to adopt advanced CTC technologies are expected to hamper the market's growth further.

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Industry Segmentation

As per the scope of this report, circulating tumor cells (CTC) refer to the tumor cells that air inside the body through the blood circulatory system and lymphatic system. Factors such as the high prevalence of cancer, advancements in biomedical imaging and bioengineering technology, increased demand for preventive medicine, and the need for companion diagnostics drive the circulating tumor cells market globally. The Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market is segmented by Technology (CTC Enrichment Methods and CTC Detection Methods), Application (Multiple Chromosal Abnormalities, RNA Profiling, Protein Expression, Cellular Communications, and Other Applications), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa and South America). The market report also covers the estimated market sizes and trends for 17 countries across major global regions. The report offers the value (USD million) for the above segments.