Liquid biopsy in gliobastoma management: from current research to future perspectives

Oncologist. 2021 Jun 8. doi: 10.1002/onco.13858. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary tumor of the central nervous system. Arising from neuroepithelial glial cells, GBM is characterized by invasive behavior, extensive angiogenesis and genetic heterogeneity that contributes to poor prognosis and treatment failure. Currently, there are several molecular biomarkers available to aid in diagnosis, prognosis and predicting outcome of the treatment; however, all require the biopsy of tumor tissue. Nevertheless, a tissue sample from a single location has its own limitations, including the risk related to the procedure, the difficulty in obtaining longitudinal samples to monitor treatment response and to fully capture the intratumoral heterogeneity of GBM. To date, there are no biomarkers in blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for detection, follow-up, or prognostication of GBM. Liquid biopsy offers an attractive and minimally invasive solution to support different stages of GBM management, assessing the molecular biology of the tumor, identifying early recurrence and longitudinal genomic evolution, predicting both prognosis and potential resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy and allowing patient selection for targeted therapies. The aim of this review is to describe the current knowledge regarding the application of liquid biopsy in glioblastoma highlighting both benefits and obstacles to translation into clinical care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRAC...
Source: The Oncologist - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research