Liquid Biopsy: Cancer Diagnostic Biomarkers of the Future

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 628

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
2. Department of Pathology, The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
3. Full Member, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
Interests: the biology and therapeutic utility of circulating tumor cells (CTCs); liquid biopsies; mechanisms of brain metastasis and dormancy in breast and melanoma cancers; molecular crosstalks between dormant bone-marrow (BM) cells and CTCs; roles of BM and BM cellular heterogeneity interplaying with metastasis and dormancy
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer metastasis represents the culmination of tumor progression and is the main cause of death among patients with cancer. Notably, Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) comprise a rare and heterogeneous cell population that sheds from tumors and traverses the peripheral blood stream throughout the metastatic process, e.g., from early pre-malignant lesions to fatal metastatic disease. Consequently, the concept of “Liquid Biopsy” to interrogate CTCs and other blood analytes (ctDNA, exosomes, microRNAs, etc.) for their clinical application as precision medicine tools has significantly expanded in the last two decades, following the first implementation of Liquid Biopsy proving the clinical utility of CTCs as independent prognostic indicators of progression-free and overall survival of patients with metastatic cancer. Since then, the field of “Liquid Biopsy” has witnessed not only the development and commercialization of multiple platforms, technologies, and tests but also the augmentation of knowledge characterizing CTC biology and CTC biomarkers. These advances have resulted in novel analyses employing enrichment platforms which either capture CTCs by multiple parameters, profile CTC at the single-cell level, or identify specific CTC biomarker expression and/or gene transcripts. Collectively, CTC/Liquid Biopsy studies have opened new investigational avenues towards the detection and prognostication of cancer progression and responses to therapy.

Prof. Dr. Dario Marchetti
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • liquid biopsy
  • circulating tumor cells (CTCs)
  • ctDNA testing
  • exosomes
  • blood analytes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1672 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of HPV Detection Efficiency: Evaluating Cobas 8800 Performance in Vaginal Self-Sampling versus Clinician-Collected Samples at a Regional Thai Hospital
by Umaporn Ruttanamora, Pinsawitar Thongsalak, Araya Sammor, Sirinart Chomean and Chollanot Kaset
Diagnostics 2024, 14(19), 2177; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14192177 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Background: This study, conducted at a regional Thai hospital, assesses the comparative efficacy of self-collected versus clinician-collected samples for HPV detection using the Cobas 8800 system among Thai women aged 30–60. Methods: Our methodology involved analyzing 1541 self-collected and 1398 clinician-collected samples. Results: [...] Read more.
Background: This study, conducted at a regional Thai hospital, assesses the comparative efficacy of self-collected versus clinician-collected samples for HPV detection using the Cobas 8800 system among Thai women aged 30–60. Methods: Our methodology involved analyzing 1541 self-collected and 1398 clinician-collected samples. Results: The results show a statistically significant mean difference in cycle threshold (Ct) values favoring clinician-collected samples (1.53; 95% CI: 1.18–1.87, p < 0.0001). This pattern was consistent across various age groups, with the most pronounced differences noted in the oldest cohort (50–59 years), suggesting higher detection efficiency in clinician-collected samples. The study further explored the correlation of Ct values with cytological and histological outcomes, where clinician-collected samples demonstrated superior diagnostic performance, particularly in identifying LSIL and HSIL conditions, evidenced by AUC values of 0.793 and 0.866, respectively. While self-sampling remains a viable method, with sensitivity reaching up to 48.84% for LSIL and 46.15% for HSIL, clinician collection proved more accurate, likely influencing future national screening policies. Conclusions: This work underscores the need for robust sample collection methods and the importance of ongoing enhancements to self-sampling assays and techniques to ensure their efficacy in cervical cancer screening programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Biopsy: Cancer Diagnostic Biomarkers of the Future)
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