Liquid biopsies in lung cancer: The new ambrosia of researchers

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1846; no. 2; pp. 539 - 546
• Main Authors: Rolfo, Christian, Castiglia, Marta, Hong, David, Alessandro, Riccardo, Mertens, Inge, Baggerman, Geert, Zwaenepoel, Karen, Gil-Bazo, Ignacio, Passiglia, Francesco, Carreca, Anna P., Taverna, Simona, Vento, Renza, Peeters, Marc, Russo, Antonio, Pauwels, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.12.2014
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Biopsy; Circulating tumor cells; Circulating tumor DNA; DNA, Neoplasm - blood; Exosomes; Humans; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Biomarkers; Circulating tumor cells; Exosomes; Lung cancer; Circulating tumor DNA
• ISSN: 0304-419X; 0006-3002; 1879-2561; 1878-2434
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2014.10.001

In the last decades the approach to cancer patient management has been deeply revolutionized. We are moving from a “one-fits-all” strategy to the “personalized medicine” based on the molecular characterization of the tumor. In this new era it is becoming more and more clear that the monitoring of the disease is fundamental for the success of the treatment, thus there is the need of new biomarker discovery. More precisely in the last years the scientific community has started to use the term “liquid biopsy”. A liquid biopsy is a liquid biomarker that can be easily isolated from many body fluids (blood, saliva, urine, ascites, pleural effusion, etc.) and, as well as a tissue biopsy, a representative of the tissue from which it is spread. In this review we will focus our attention on circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, exosomes and secretomes with the aim to underlie their usefulness and potential application in a clinical setting for lung cancer patient management. •The review underlies the potential impact of liquid biopsy in lung cancer patients management.•Liquid biopsy is a liquid biomarker that can be easily isolated from many body fluids.•CTC, ctDNA, exosome and secretome provide different information related to the tissue from which they originate.•Liquid biopsy can be used as predictive, prognostic and also diagnostic biomarkers in several tumor types.•The road toward the introduction of liquid biopsy in clinical setting is still long.