A Needle in a Haystack: The Precision of Liquid Biopsy in Finding Bone Tumors

Bone tumors, especially in advanced stages, pose serious diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to their aggressive nature and the invasiveness of traditional biopsy techniques. Liquid biopsy offers a promising, minimally invasive alternative by analyzing tumor-derived components from bodily fluids, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and extracellular vesicles (EVs). These biomarkers enable dynamic and precise disease monitoring.

This review aimed to investigate the role of liquid biopsy in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment guidance of bone tumors, highlighting recent molecular advances and clinical findings.

A structured narrative review was conducted using PubMed, covering studies published up to July 2024. Studies involving osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and chordoma were included, focusing on the clinical implications of CTCs, ctDNA, and EVs from plasma, serum, and other fluids.

Liquid biopsy technologies demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in bone tumors. In osteosarcoma, CTC detection using qRT-PCR and FISH methods showed sensitivities up to 98.6% and was strongly associated with metastatic disease and recurrence risk. ctDNA profiling identified tumor-specific mutations, hypomethylation markers (e.g., IRX1), and early relapse indicators with up to 97.4% specificity. EV-associated biomarkers, particularly miRNAs, such as miR-25-3p and a 3-miRNA signature, distinguished tumor subtypes and predicted metastasis-free survival. Advanced techniques, like SERS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling of exosomes, achieved diagnostic accuracies near 100%. EV RNA sequencing revealed differential gene expression and fusion events linked to metastatic progression and long-term outcomes.

Liquid biopsy holds strong potential for transforming bone tumor care. Its clinical adoption depends on further validation through standardized methods and large-scale studies.