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Review
. 2019 Apr;23(4):284-296.
doi: 10.1089/gtmb.2018.0237. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Liquid Biopsy in Solid Malignancy

Matthew Scarlotta  1 , Cem Simsek  2 , Amy K Kim  2
Affiliations
Review

Liquid Biopsy in Solid Malignancy

Matthew Scarlotta et al. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

The clinical utility of tissue biopsies in cancer management will continue to expand, especially with the evolving role of targeted therapies. "Liquid biopsy" refers to testing a patient's biofluid samples such as blood or urine to detect tumor-derived molecules and cells that can be used diagnostically and prognostically in the assessment of cancer. Many proof-of-concept and pilot studies have shown the clinical potential of liquid biopsies as diagnostic and prognostic markers which would provide a surrogate for the conventional "solid biopsy". In this review, we focus on three methods of liquid biopsy-circulating tumor cells, extracellular vesicles, and circulating tumor DNA-to provide a landscape view of their clinical applicability in cancer management and research.

Keywords: cancer; circulating DNA; circulating tumor cells; extracellular vesicles; liquid biopsy.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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