Liquid biopsy – a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6016/ZdravVestn.3294Keywords:
lung cancer, liquid biopsy, circulating tumor DNA, PCR, NGSAbstract
Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The past decade has brought important progress in drug treatments by discovering the driver mutations. The evolution of targeted oncological treatments directed to the biological properties of lung cancer in the individual patient has led to a significant increase in survival. During treatment, new mutations accumulate in the tumour, which prevents the long-term success of the therapy. Liquid biopsy is a method that has established itself in recent years as a less invasive diagnostic procedure that allows monitoring the response to treatment and identifying the mechanisms of resistance. The circulating tumor DNA is the most prevalent biomarker in lung cancer, but research on other biomarkers is also active. In this review article, we present the use of liquid biopsy in the clinical treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Its use is increasingly recognized in early detection of lung cancer, identifying resistant mutations, potential assessment of disease burden, and longitudinal monitoring.
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