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Review
. 2023 Sep 6;24(18):13767.
doi: 10.3390/ijms241813767.

CTC, ctDNA, and Exosome in Thyroid Cancers: A Review

Wenwen Wang  1 , Zhiyao Zheng  1   2 , Jianyong Lei  1
Affiliations
Review

CTC, ctDNA, and Exosome in Thyroid Cancers: A Review

Wenwen Wang et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Thyroid cancer has become more common in recent years all around the world. Many issues still need to be urgently addressed in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of thyroid cancer. Liquid biopsy (mainly circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and circulating exosomes) may provide a novel and ideal approach to solve these issues, allows us to assess the features of diseases more comprehensively, and has a function in a variety of malignancies. Recently, liquid biopsy has been shown to be critical in thyroid cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in numerous previous studies. In this review, by testing CTCs, ctDNA, and exosomes, we focus on the possible clinical role of liquid biopsy in thyroid cancer, including diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and response to therapy. We briefly review how liquid biopsy components have progressed in thyroid cancer by consulting the existing public information. We also discuss the clinical potential of liquid biopsy in thyroid cancer and provide a reference for liquid biopsy research. Liquid biopsy has the potential to be a useful tool in the early detection, monitoring, or prediction of response to therapies and prognosis in thyroid cancer, with promising clinical applications.

Keywords: CTC; ctDNA; exosome; liquid biopsy; thyroid cancers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical examination and diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Ultrasound (a) and fine-needle aspiration biopsy histology (b) are commonly used methods for detection and diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Liquid biopsy (c) offers a new approach to diagnosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Potential clinical application of liquid biopsy in thyroid cancer. Liquid biopsy, including circulation tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and exosomes, could be a potential tool for early diagnosis, effective monitoring, precise treatment, and prognostic prediction.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Isolation and detection methods for CTCs. Numerous technologies have been developed for CTC detection relying on the physical and biological properties of CTCs. Physical methods mainly include separation and enrichment by filters or filter membranes based on CTC size and gradient centrifugation and filtration utilizing the density of CTCs. Immunoaffinity is a method of enrichment using specific antigens expressed on the surface of CTCs, such as EpCAM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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