Liquid biopsy in lung cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Accurate lung cancer diagnosis and molecular profiling are crucial for personalized medicine.
• Key molecular targets include EGFR, ALK-EML4, ROS1, Her2Neu, and BRAF genes.
• Traditional tissue biopsies face limitations, with 30% of patients unable to undergo molecular testing due to sample inadequacy or accessibility issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define liquid biopsy as a diagnostic tool for lung cancer.
• To highlight the diagnostic methods, advantages, limitations, and future perspectives of liquid biopsy.
• To address challenges in molecular testing for lung cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), tumor RNA, exosomes, and secretomes in blood samples.
• Analysis of molecular targets like EGFR, ALK-EML4, ROS1, Her2Neu, and BRAF.
• Comparison with traditional tissue biopsy methods.

Main Results:

• Liquid biopsy provides an alternative when tissue biopsy is not feasible.
• Identifies molecular alterations for targeted therapy selection.
• Circulating tumor components can be detected in small blood volumes (5-10 ml).

Conclusions:

• Liquid biopsy circumvents limitations of tissue biopsies in lung cancer molecular profiling.
• It offers a promising approach for personalized medicine and overcoming therapeutic resistance.
• Further research and implementation are needed, particularly in regions like Tunisia.