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…

Read more
  • 0