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Review
. 2018 Jun 8;19(6):1704.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19061704.

Liquid Biopsy in Oral Cancer

Fatima Lousada-Fernandez  1 , Oscar Rapado-Gonzalez  2   3 , Jose-Luis Lopez-Cedrun  4 , Rafael Lopez-Lopez  5 , Laura Muinelo-Romay  6 , Maria Mercedes Suarez-Cunqueiro  7   8
Affiliations
Review

Liquid Biopsy in Oral Cancer

Fatima Lousada-Fernandez et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Oral cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer worldwide. Carcinogenesis is a complex process, in which heterogeneity plays an important role in the development and progression of the disease. This review provides an overview of the current biological and clinical significance of circulating tumour cells (CTCs), circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes for diagnosis and prognosis of oral cancer. We highlight the importance of liquid biopsy—using blood and saliva—which represents a potential alternative to solid biopsy for diagnosis and prognosis. Moreover, liquid biomarkers allow for the real-time monitoring of tumour evolution and therapeutic responses, initiating the era of personalized medicine. However, in oral cancer, the impact of liquid biopsies in clinical settings is still limited, requiring further studies to discover the best scenario for its clinical use.

Keywords: circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA); circulating tumour cells (CTCs); exosomes; liquid biopsy; oral cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of CTCs, ctDNA, and exosomes for achieving personalized medicine in oral cancer. CTCs, circulating tumour cells; ctDNA, circulating tumour DNA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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