Circulating Tumor DNA in the Management of Early-Stage Breast Cancer.
Katerina VlatakiSevastiani AntonouliChristina KalyviotiEvangeli LampriSevasti KaminaDavide MauriHaralampos V HarissisAngeliki MagklaraPublished in: Cells (2023)
Liquid biopsies refer to the isolation and analysis of tumor-derived biological material from body fluids, most commonly blood, in order to provide clinically valuable information for the management of cancer patients. Their non-invasive nature allows to overcome the limitations of tissue biopsy and complement the latter in guiding therapeutic decision-making. In the past years, several studies have demonstrated that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection can be used in the clinical setting to improve patient prognosis and monitor therapy response, especially in metastatic cancers. With the advent of significant technological advances in assay development, ctDNA can now be accurately and reliably identified in early-stage cancers despite its low levels in the bloodstream. In this review, we discuss the most important studies that highlight the potential clinical utility of ctDNA in early-stage breast cancer focusing on early diagnosis, detection of minimal residual disease and prediction of metastatic relapse. We also offer a concise description of the most sensitive techniques that are deemed appropriate for ctDNA detection in early-stage cancer and we examine their advantages and disadvantages, as they have been employed in various studies. Finally, we discuss future perspectives on how ctDNA could be better integrated into the everyday oncology practice.
Keyphrases
- circulating tumor
- early stage
- cell free
- circulating tumor cells
- sentinel lymph node
- loop mediated isothermal amplification
- squamous cell carcinoma
- small cell lung cancer
- real time pcr
- case control
- label free
- healthcare
- high throughput
- primary care
- papillary thyroid
- childhood cancer
- case report
- ultrasound guided
- squamous cell
- ionic liquid
- young adults
- fine needle aspiration
- cell therapy
- free survival
- gram negative