VIM and renal cell carcinoma: By stratifying CTCs by Vimentin expression, we further demonstrated a significant correlation of DAPI+/CK+/CD45-/Vimentin+ CTC number with clinical stages (I-IV) in the RCC patient cohort (Figure 5C and Table 4), suggesting that the mesenchymal status of CTCs could serve as a potential prognostic factor for RCC patients.