癌症引流静脉中的循环肿瘤细胞（CTC）具有诊断和预后价值。然而，对食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）的研究有限。本研究旨在比较从不同采样部位（外周静脉与癌症引流奇静脉）获得的 CTC，并研究它们与 ESCC 患者临床病理特征的关联。 2020 年 6 月至 2022 年 4 月期间，从釜山国立大学医院的 40 名 ESCC 患者的双静脉中采集术前血液样本。使用离心微流体方法和流体辅助分离来检测 CTC。 CTC 和 TWIST ( ) CTC 在奇静脉血中比在外周静脉血中更常见；然而，差异并不具有统计学意义（85.0% [34/40] vs. 77.5% [31/​​40]，p = 0.250 和 82.5% [33/40] vs. 75.0% [30/40]，p = 0.586 ， 分别）。奇静脉血中的 CTC 和 TWIST ( ) CTC 计数显着高于外周静脉血（分别为 7 vs. 3，p < 0.001 和 6 vs. 2，p < 0.001）。来自外周静脉和奇静脉的 CTC 和 TWIST ( ) CTC 显示与临床病理特征无关。需要进一步的大规模研究来阐明它们作为 ESCC 患者预后和化疗反应的预测生物标志物的作用。

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer-draining veins have diagnostic and prognostic value. However, studies on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are limited. This study aimed to compare CTCs obtained from different sampling sites (peripheral vein vs. cancer-draining azygos vein) and to investigate their association with the clinicopathological characteristics of ESCC patients. Blood samples were collected preoperatively from both veins in 40 ESCC patients at Pusan National University Hospital from June 2020 to April 2022. CTCs were detected using a centrifugal microfluidic method with fluid-assisted separation. CTCs and TWIST (+) CTCs were detected more frequently in the azygos vein blood than in the peripheral vein blood; however, the difference was not statistically significant (85.0% [34/40] vs. 77.5% [31/40], p = 0.250 and 82.5% [33/40] vs. 75.0% [30/40], p = 0.586, respectively). CTC and TWIST (+) CTC counts were significantly higher in the azygos vein blood than in the peripheral vein blood (7 vs. 3, p < 0.001, and 6 vs. 2, p < 0.001, respectively). CTCs and TWIST (+) CTCs from peripheral and azygos veins showed no association with clinicopathological characteristics. Further large-scale studies are needed to clarify their role as predictive biomarkers for prognosis and chemotherapy responses in ESCC patients.