Abstract: The detection of circulating tumor cells may benefit physicians' efforts at localization of micrometastases in their earliest stage, assessment of the prognosis, monitoring of postoperative relapse and metastasis, making the decisions regarding individualized treatment and judgment of the therapeutic effects. In this study, progress in the detection of circulating tumor cells, using immunocytochemistry,reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR), flow cytometry and immunomagnetic beads,was summarized.