Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

A Standardized Liquid Biopsy Preanalytical Protocol for Downstream Circulating-Free DNA Applications
Published on: September 16, 2022
Liquid Biopsy in Solid Malignancy
Matthew Scarlotta1, Cem Simsek2, Amy K Kim2
11 Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Abstract:
The clinical utility of tissue biopsies in cancer management will continue to expand, especially with the evolving role of targeted therapies. "Liquid biopsy" refers to testing a patient's biofluid samples such as blood or urine to detect tumor-derived molecules and cells that can be used diagnostically and prognostically in the assessment of cancer. Many proof-of-concept and pilot studies have shown the clinical potential of liquid biopsies as diagnostic and prognostic markers which would provide a surrogate for the conventional "solid biopsy". In this review, we focus on three methods of liquid biopsy-circulating tumor cells, extracellular vesicles, and circulating tumor DNA-to provide a landscape view of their clinical applicability in cancer management and research.
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