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Editorial
. 2022 Apr 21;28(15):1503-1507.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i15.1503.

Liquid biopsy in colorectal cancer: No longer young, but not yet old

Giandomenico Roviello  1 , Daniele Lavacchi  2 , Lorenzo Antonuzzo  3 , Martina Catalano  4 , Enrico Mini  5
Affiliations
Editorial

Liquid biopsy in colorectal cancer: No longer young, but not yet old

Giandomenico Roviello et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The treatment strategy employed in CRC patients is becoming highly dependent on molecular characteristics present at diagnosis and during treatment. Liquid biopsy is an emerging field in the management of this cancer, and its relevance as a potential diagnostic, prognostic, monitoring, and therapeutic tool makes it a viable strategy in the clinical management of CRC patients. Liquid biopsy also has certain limitations, but these limitations seem to be at the reach of near-future technological development. In this letter, we focus on the clinical perspectives of liquid biopsy in CRC with particular regard to the various biomarkers recently identified that have been shown to be potentially useful in multiple aspects of early stage or metastatic CRC.

Keywords: Circulating tumor DNA; Colorectal cancer; Diagnosis; Liquid biopsy; Prognosis; Targeted therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have nothing to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Potential clinical uses of liquid biopsy in colorectal cancer. ctDNA: Circulating tumor DNA; CTC: Circulating tumor cell; CRC: Colorectal cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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