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Review
. 2024 Sep 30;16(19):3349.
doi: 10.3390/cancers16193349.

The Role of Liquid Biopsy in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Catarina Almeida  1   2 , Lorenzo Gervaso  1 , Gianmaria Frigè  3 , Francesca Spada  1 , Lavinia Benini  1 , Chiara Alessandra Cella  1 , Luca Mazzarella  1   3 , Nicola Fazio  1
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Liquid Biopsy in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Catarina Almeida et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Neuroendocrine neoplasms incidence has been increasing, arising the need for precise and early diagnostic tools. Liquid biopsy (LB) offers a less invasive alternative to tissue biopsy, providing real-time molecular information from circulating tumour components in body fluids. The aim of this review is to analyse the current evidence concerning LB in NENs and its role in clinical practice. We conducted a systematic review in July 2024 focusing on LB applications in NENs, including circulating tumour cells (CTCs), circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), micro RNA (miRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA) and extracellular vesicles. Sixty-five relevant articles were analysed. The LB showed potential in diagnosing and monitoring NENs. While CTCs face limitations due to low shedding, ctDNA provides valuable information on high-grade neoplasms. MiRNA and mRNA (e.g., the NETest) offer high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis and prognosis, outperforming traditional markers like chromogranin A. The LB has significant potential for NEN diagnosis and monitoring but lacks widespread clinical integration due to limited prospective studies and guidelines, requiring further validation. Advances in sequencing technologies may enhance the clinical utility of LB in NENs. Future research should focus on refining LB methods, standardising protocols and exploring applications in high-grade NENs.

Keywords: circulating tumour DNA; gastroenteropancreatic tract; liquid biopsy; neuroendocrine neoplasms; precision medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of the systematic review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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