Precision oncology aims to improve the detection and treatment of cancer based on the utilization of molecular information associated with individual cases. A variety of genomic and related analyses are being applied to patients' tumor samples, especially to identify genome alterations involved in tumor progression, predictive markers to guide treatment selection, and molecular biomarkers related to metastatic disease.
Tumor sampling usually involves invasive procedures associated with an inherent risk of complications. Furthermore, tumor biopsies only reflect a single time point for a single tumor site and the acquisition of tumor biopsies throughout therapy for treatment monitoring purposes is rarely possible. Similarly, in the case of metastasis such sampling methods are frequently not feasible thereby missing to gather potentially different genetic profiles at distant and locoregional (re-) occurrences.
Driven by these limitations a recent shift of molecular profiling in precision oncology's has been towards the increasing use of less invasive "liquid biopsy" technologies, i.e. the sampling and analysis of various body fluids such as blood, urine, pleural effusions, or ascites. Currently, liquid biopsy tests target a wide range of analytes including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), exosomes, microRNAs (miRNA), peripheral blood circulating RNA, tumor-educated blood platelets (TEPs), and circulating tumour vascular endothelial cells (CTECs). Of these, CTCs, ctDNA, and exosomes represent the most frequent sources for biomarker detection and quantification.
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA; ctDNA for tumor DNA) is mainly derived from cells undergoing apoptosis, necrosis, direct release and from macrophages due to the scavenging of necrotic cells. ctDNA may represent the complete spectrum of genomic aberrations present in a tumor. Current approaches for detecting tumor aberrations in cfDNA can be broadly divided into two categories: One is the targeted approach, and the second is an untargeted approach for identifying genetic mutations in cancers. For targeted approaches several companion diagnostic tests have already been approved for clinical use by regulatory bodies. Moreover, NGS-based systems have also revolutionized mutation detection in liquid biopsy with improved sensitivity and specificity. The use of different platforms, the improvement of library preparation, and the combination with bioinformatics algorithms increasingly improves the efficiency of ctDNA analysis with mutation profiling of cancer patients using liquid biopsies showing advantages over other technologies in various use cases such as in early detection as well as early prognosis of patient outcomes. Thus, liquid biopsies, along with technological advancements, is expected to accelerate its path to wide adoption in precision oncology and clinical care in the near future.
The main goal of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of the state-of-art ctDNA-based liquid biopsy technologies and the clinical impact of utilizing these technologies in early detection, targeted therapy and detection of minimal residual disease, bringing new insight and scientific knowledge to the future of medicine.
We welcome the submission of manuscripts of original research, reviews, systematic reviews, and short communications on the topics:
- Novel ctDNA-based Liquid biopsy techniques;
- Liquid biopsy for cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis, therapeutic management;
- Liquid biopsy for mutation detection in tumors;
- Liquid biopsy for ctDNA identification for cancer diagnosis and treatment;
- Liquid biopsies and epigenetics.
Keywords:
ctdna, Cancer, Cancer Diagnosis, Liquid Biopsy, Precision Oncology
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Precision oncology aims to improve the detection and treatment of cancer based on the utilization of molecular information associated with individual cases. A variety of genomic and related analyses are being applied to patients' tumor samples, especially to identify genome alterations involved in tumor progression, predictive markers to guide treatment selection, and molecular biomarkers related to metastatic disease.
Tumor sampling usually involves invasive procedures associated with an inherent risk of complications. Furthermore, tumor biopsies only reflect a single time point for a single tumor site and the acquisition of tumor biopsies throughout therapy for treatment monitoring purposes is rarely possible. Similarly, in the case of metastasis such sampling methods are frequently not feasible thereby missing to gather potentially different genetic profiles at distant and locoregional (re-) occurrences.
Driven by these limitations a recent shift of molecular profiling in precision oncology's has been towards the increasing use of less invasive "liquid biopsy" technologies, i.e. the sampling and analysis of various body fluids such as blood, urine, pleural effusions, or ascites. Currently, liquid biopsy tests target a wide range of analytes including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), exosomes, microRNAs (miRNA), peripheral blood circulating RNA, tumor-educated blood platelets (TEPs), and circulating tumour vascular endothelial cells (CTECs). Of these, CTCs, ctDNA, and exosomes represent the most frequent sources for biomarker detection and quantification.
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA; ctDNA for tumor DNA) is mainly derived from cells undergoing apoptosis, necrosis, direct release and from macrophages due to the scavenging of necrotic cells. ctDNA may represent the complete spectrum of genomic aberrations present in a tumor. Current approaches for detecting tumor aberrations in cfDNA can be broadly divided into two categories: One is the targeted approach, and the second is an untargeted approach for identifying genetic mutations in cancers. For targeted approaches several companion diagnostic tests have already been approved for clinical use by regulatory bodies. Moreover, NGS-based systems have also revolutionized mutation detection in liquid biopsy with improved sensitivity and specificity. The use of different platforms, the improvement of library preparation, and the combination with bioinformatics algorithms increasingly improves the efficiency of ctDNA analysis with mutation profiling of cancer patients using liquid biopsies showing advantages over other technologies in various use cases such as in early detection as well as early prognosis of patient outcomes. Thus, liquid biopsies, along with technological advancements, is expected to accelerate its path to wide adoption in precision oncology and clinical care in the near future.
The main goal of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of the state-of-art ctDNA-based liquid biopsy technologies and the clinical impact of utilizing these technologies in early detection, targeted therapy and detection of minimal residual disease, bringing new insight and scientific knowledge to the future of medicine.
We welcome the submission of manuscripts of original research, reviews, systematic reviews, and short communications on the topics:
- Novel ctDNA-based Liquid biopsy techniques;
- Liquid biopsy for cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis, therapeutic management;
- Liquid biopsy for mutation detection in tumors;
- Liquid biopsy for ctDNA identification for cancer diagnosis and treatment;
- Liquid biopsies and epigenetics.
Keywords:
ctdna, Cancer, Cancer Diagnosis, Liquid Biopsy, Precision Oncology
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.