Navigating the cancer progression pathway with liquid biopsy

[Cancer image licensed from Adobe Stock]

Tumor heterogeneity analysis is a challenging but critical step for the advancement of cancer therapy research. DNA mutation interrogation and gene expression pattern evaluation are crucial for predicting a tumor’s response or resistance to specific drug or hormone treatments. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising tool, offering a rapid, minimally invasive method for early detection, prognosis, monitoring solid tumor status, and predicting responses to cancer therapy. The concept of liquid biopsy initially centered on the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and later expanded to include the utilization of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to extract tumor information.

Assessing CTC abundance and phenotypic changes, along with measuring ctDNA concentration, holds the potential for real-time tracking of disease progression, tumor burden and recurrence. Additio…

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Mapping the cancer patient journey with liquid biopsy

Pancreatic cancer cells with blue nuclei forming a sphere surrounded by red membranes in a lab setting. [Credit: National Cancer Institute]

According to the American Cancer Society, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Patients seek treatment to shrink their tumors and ideally achieve remission; however, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. At its core, cancer is a genetic disease: Different types of cancer that affect specific organs or systems can share genetic qualities, but every individual can also carry unique mutations that affect how their tumor behaves. Therefore, molecular testing has a critical role to play in all stages of cancer treatment, from developing new drugs to delivering these as treatments. 

The promise of molecular testing approaches

Over the years, increasingly complex molecular testing approaches have gained favor in the fie…

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