Clinical Perspective and Translational Oncology of Liquid Biopsy

Abstract

<jats:p>The term liquid biopsy (LB) refers to the study of circulating tumor cells, circulating tumors nucleic acids free of cells or contained in exosomes, and information about platelets associated with tumors. LB can be performed in different biofluids and allows the limitations of tissue biopsy to be overcome offering possibilities of tumor identification reflecting in real time tumor heterogeneity. In addition, LB allows screening and early detection of cancer, real-time monitoring of therapy, stratification and therapeutic intervention, a therapeutic target and resistance mechanism, and a risk of metastatic relapse. Currently, LB has been shown to be effective for its application in different types of tumors including lung, colorectal, prostate, melanoma, breast and pancreatic cancer, by the determination and identification of biomarkers that with a high probability have the potential to change the way in which medical oncology could predict the course of the disease. These biomarkers make it possible to capture the heterogeneity of the cancer, monitor its clonal evolution, indicate new treatments or retreatments and evaluate the responses to different evolutionary and/or therapeutic pressures in the cancer disease.</jats:p>

Clinical Perspectives on Liquid Biopsy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

“…Liquid biopsy, as a non-invasive and developing tool, could solve many limitations faced with conventional biopsies ( Fernández-Lázaro et al, 2020 ). Studies have confirmed the promising roles of liquid biopsy in the clinical management of metastatic CRC.…”

Current Achievements and Applications of Transcriptomics in Personalized Cancer Medicine

“…There are also several urine-based tests for detection of prostate cancer including SelectMDx (based on gene expression signature) and Progensa PCA3 (based on lncRNA expression signature) [ 170 , 171 ]. Both tests revealed their potential in elimination of unnecessary prostate biopsies [ 172 ].…”

Extracellular Vesicles: From Biomarkers to Therapeutic Tools

“…In addition, the isolation of a specific EVs population released by pathogenic cells seems of great interest in the screening of people considered under risk of development of particular diseases [ 28 , 29 ]. Moreover, the feasibility of the isolation of a specific exosomes or vesicles population opens the opportunity to set up effective liquid biopsy approaches, in order to reduce invasive and painful conventional tissue biopsies [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]—in particular for the very challenging anatomical districts such as the brain [ 33 , 34 ]. In fact, in diseases affecting the central nervous system, neurologists have no access to the diseased tissue, with the exception of extreme cases requiring a cerebral biopsy.…”