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Article
Journey of a liquid biopsy
What is a liquid biopsy based test?
Certain lung cancer patients are not good candidates for tissue biopsy as this is an invasive procedure that carries risk. Liquid biopsy offers a non-invasive alternative for clinicians to identify clinically relevant biomarkers in patients to guide treatment decisions.
A liquid biopsy test looks for cancer cells or cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from a tumor that is circulating in the blood.1 Obtaining blood samples is less invasive compared to traditional tissue biopsies.
Opportunities for liquid biopsy
In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) testing is not performed in ~20% of eligible patients due to unavailable or insufficient tissue.2
Liquid biopsy can help overcome complications of a lung biopsy and is playing an increasing role as a companion diagnostics in cancer management.
Disease Management
- Detection of Resistance
- Treatment Decisions
- Treatment Monitoring
- Diagnosis of Recurrence
Liquid biopsy offers a non-invasive approach for personalised patient care.
Applications Today
- Identify mutations
- Treatment decisions (e.g. NSCLC)
- Response to treatment (e.g. EGFR)
Applications Tomorrow
- Treatment decisions for many cancers
- Monitoring for recurrence
- Screening for early diagnosis
References
- https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/liquid-biopsy, Accessed August 28, 2023.
- 2015 European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC): Abstract LBA2_PR. Presented April 17, 2015