The signal distribution of CK, Vim, and CD45/CD31 immunofluorescent markers for channel-based cells is shown in Fig. 3B. The enumeration and proportion of the eight different channel-based cell groups in each SCLC patient and the NDs are shown in Fig. 3C and D. The CK CTCs were detected significantly more in SCLC patients (mean: 411.19 cells/ml, range: 5–3402.05 cells/mL) compared to the NDs (mean: 0.35 cells/ml, range: 0–3.77 cells/ml, p-value < 0.0001). Here, VIM is linked to small cell lung carcinoma.