The specific NSCLC-derived CTCs expression profile is mainly associated with cellular movement, cell adhesion and differentiation, and cell-to-cell signalling linked to PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2 and NF-kB pathways, previously associated with lung cancer and metastasis25, 26; and NOTCH1 playing an important role on the whole functional network. This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and lung cancer.