Scientists in the US believe they have solved a problem faced by cancer experts for some years.
CTCs (circulating tumour cells) provide evidence of tumours and are known to move around the body in the bloodstream.
Previously, experts have been unable to develop a reliable method for detecting them.
However, a study due to appear in the journal Nature, claims to have made an important breakthrough.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed a microchip that can be used to detect CTCs in a simple blood sample.
The microchip is lined with 80,000 microscopic posts, each coated with an antibody that acts as glue for CTCs.
"While much work remains to be done, this approach raises the possibility of rapidly and non-invasively monitoring tumour response to treatment, allowing changes if the treatment is not effective," said Dr Daniel Haber, director of the cancer centre at MGH.
It is hoped that the research could lead to a clinical solution that would help with the early detection of cancer.
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