Bladder cancer remains a significant challenge due to its high incidence and recurrence rates making it the most common malignancy of the urinary tract. The primary methods for diagnosis and prognosis involves a combination of cytology and cystoscopy. However, studies have demonstrated cytology tests have poor sensitivity and is significantly invasive in addition to the variation in tumor stage using cystoscopy. Therefore, alternative methods are required to be developed to help detect bladder cancer in patients.
Liquid biopsy can be a promising molecular evaluation of cell-free nucleic acids, proteins, subcellular structures, and circulating tumor cells in urine or blood. The major advantages of liquid biopsies include their minimally invasive nature, and the possibility of prediction the response to a medical treatment. There are a variety of molecules that can be measured in body fluids, such as circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA, various circulating RNA classes, exosomes, and cell-free proteins. Circulating cell-free DNA can be used as a potential marker to measure DNA levels, methylation, mutation status, integrity, and copy number aberration. Novel molecular biomarkers are emerging as the case of circulating RNAs. Importantly, liquid biopsies could be used in the follow-up of high-risk cancer patients, to anticipate recurrence and to monitor patients familiar with bladder cancer.
The aim of this Research Topic is to summarize new insights into the current status and future perspectives of the role of liquid biopsies in detecting and predicting outcomes in bladder cancer. Areas of interest for this specific Research Topic include but are not limited to how liquid biopsy influences the diagnosis and prognosis of bladder cancer, the development of specific resistance in bladder cancer and the response to immunotherapies and chemotherapeutic agents. Of particular interest are novel molecular biomarkers and screening strategies. Reviews and meta-analyses are welcome.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Bladder cancer remains a significant challenge due to its high incidence and recurrence rates making it the most common malignancy of the urinary tract. The primary methods for diagnosis and prognosis involves a combination of cytology and cystoscopy. However, studies have demonstrated cytology tests have poor sensitivity and is significantly invasive in addition to the variation in tumor stage using cystoscopy. Therefore, alternative methods are required to be developed to help detect bladder cancer in patients.
Liquid biopsy can be a promising molecular evaluation of cell-free nucleic acids, proteins, subcellular structures, and circulating tumor cells in urine or blood. The major advantages of liquid biopsies include their minimally invasive nature, and the possibility of prediction the response to a medical treatment. There are a variety of molecules that can be measured in body fluids, such as circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA, various circulating RNA classes, exosomes, and cell-free proteins. Circulating cell-free DNA can be used as a potential marker to measure DNA levels, methylation, mutation status, integrity, and copy number aberration. Novel molecular biomarkers are emerging as the case of circulating RNAs. Importantly, liquid biopsies could be used in the follow-up of high-risk cancer patients, to anticipate recurrence and to monitor patients familiar with bladder cancer.
The aim of this Research Topic is to summarize new insights into the current status and future perspectives of the role of liquid biopsies in detecting and predicting outcomes in bladder cancer. Areas of interest for this specific Research Topic include but are not limited to how liquid biopsy influences the diagnosis and prognosis of bladder cancer, the development of specific resistance in bladder cancer and the response to immunotherapies and chemotherapeutic agents. Of particular interest are novel molecular biomarkers and screening strategies. Reviews and meta-analyses are welcome.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.