Liquid Biopsy in the Management of Breast Cancer Patients: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going

Abstract

Liquid biopsy (LB) is an emerging diagnostic tool that analyzes biomarkers in the blood (and possibly in other body fluids) to provide information about tumor genetics and response to therapy. This review article provides an overview of LB applications in human cancer with a focus on breast cancer patients. LB methods include circulating tumor cells and cell-free tumor products, such as circulating tumor DNA. LB has shown potential in detecting cancer at an early stage, monitoring tumor progression and recurrence, and predicting patient response to therapy. Several studies have demonstrated its clinical utility in breast cancer patients. However, there are limitations to LB, including the lack of standardized assays and the need for further validation. Future potential applications of LB include identifying the minimal residual disease, early detection of recurrence, and monitoring treatment response in various cancer types. LB represents a promising non-invasive diagnostic tool with potential applications in breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management. Further research is necessary to fully understand its clinical utility and overcome its current limitations.

An Integrated Care Approach to Improve Well-Being in Breast Cancer Patients

“…Moreover, in recent years, liquid biopsy and circulating biomarkers helped address medical needs by providing a non-invasive tool for patient in course of treatments and during follow-up. Although their role in BC prognosis has now been deeply evaluated [ 121 ], it is still not clear wheter this new non-invasive approach could be useful to address molecular benefits of holistic approaches on QoL and how can we integrate these techniques in machine-learning programmes [ 122 ].…”

Status of breast cancer detection in young women and potential of liquid biopsy

“…Liquid biopsy involves the use of a body fluid (such as blood, breast milk, nipple aspirate fluid or urine) for identifying the molecular characteristics of the disease. Typically, liquid biopsy tests have been used for treatment selection and risk monitoring of recurrence, but emerging multi-biomarker blood-based tests are focusing on early detection ( 129 – 137 ). Key criteria to consider in the implementation of liquid biopsy tests for early detection of breast cancer include analytical and clinical performance metrics in targeted patient populations, accessibility, and scalability.…”

“…Early liquid biopsy tests encompassed analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) or other genetic material such as micro-RNAs from plasma for use in prognosis and treatment selection [for review see ( 129 , 130 , 132 , 136 , 137 )]. Some tests have obtained FDA clearance including the CellSearch test by Veracyte that is indicated for cancer prognosis and the Guardant360DX test for treatment selection.…”

Peroxiporins in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Biomarker Potential and Therapeutic Perspectives

“…A blood-based liquid biopsy analyzes the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (exosomes), and circulating tumor nucleic acids (ctNAs), which include circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and microRNAs (miRNAs). The amount of ctDNA in the bloodstream depends on the size of the tumor or metastases burden, which leads to the assumption that a higher ctDNA concentration increases the probability of tumor metastasis existence [ 25 ].…”