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A Standardized Liquid Biopsy Preanalytical Protocol for Downstream Circulating-Free DNA Applications
Published on: September 16, 2022
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Implementing liquid biopsies into clinical decision making for cancer immunotherapy
Dagmar Quandt1, Hans Dieter Zucht2, Arno Amann3
1Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
Oncotarget
|May 15, 2017
Summary
Novel immunotherapies improve cancer survival. Liquid biopsies offer a promising avenue for discovering immune biomarkers to monitor treatment response and patient prognosis, addressing current limitations in cancer care.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Cancer immunotherapies, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, have transformed malignancy treatment and patient survival.
- There is a critical need for immune-related biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and patient selection in cancer immunotherapy.
- Liquid biopsies (e.g., blood, saliva, urine) are preferred for serial monitoring due to their accessibility compared to traditional tumor biopsies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current knowledge and challenges in utilizing liquid biopsies for cancer immunotherapy.
- To highlight the requirements for sample collection and assay development for effective liquid biopsy analysis.
- To discuss technical advancements enabling high-throughput assays for genetic and immunologic alterations in liquid biopsies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on immunotherapies and liquid biopsies.
- Analysis of requirements for sample preparation, collection timing, and sample types for liquid biopsies.
- Discussion of technical developments in high-throughput assays for biomarker detection.
Main Results:
- Monitoring immune and tumor responses via liquid biopsies shows promise but lacks stable prognostic biomarkers.
- Current limitations in technology, reproducibility, and assay validation hinder the discovery of reliable biomarkers.
- Advancements in high-throughput technologies are enabling the detection of genetic and immunologic alterations in liquid biopsies.
Conclusions:
- Liquid biopsies represent a valuable tool for monitoring treatment efficiency and resistance mechanisms in cancer immunotherapy.
- Further research and standardized approaches are needed to overcome challenges in biomarker discovery and validation using liquid biopsies.
- Developing robust assays for liquid biopsies is crucial for identifying prognostic biomarkers and improving patient outcomes in cancer immunotherapy.
