循环肿瘤细胞(circulating tumor cells,CTCs)指自发或者因诊疗操作自肿瘤原发灶或者转移性病灶脱落进入外周血液循环系统的肿瘤细胞。有研究表明CTCs是一个相对独立的预后指标,是肿瘤复发或转移的重要原因之一。本文将系统综述CTCs分离和检测方法,以及在肝癌CTCs检测中的应用现状,探讨肝癌CTCs检测的临床意义。 Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) refer to tumor cells shed from the primary or metastatic lesions of the tumor into the peripheral blood circulatory system either spontaneously or by medical procedures. Studies have shown that CTCs is a relatively independent prognostic indicators, one of the important reasons for tumor recurrence or metastasis. This article will systematically review CTCs separation and detection methods, as well as the application of CTCs in liver cancer detection status, to explore the clinical significance of CTCs detection of liver cancer.