J Liq Biopsy. 2025 Nov 29;10:100449. doi: 10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100449. eCollection 2025 Dec.

ABSTRACT

The role of liquid biopsy in oncological care continues to expand, with multiple studies presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2025). This review summarizes recent advances in liquid biopsy for thoracic oncology, encompassing both non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In early detection and screening, proteomic profiling has identified potential biomarkers predictive of future lung cancer risk. The integration of proteomics with clinical and imaging data can improve pulmonary nodule malignancy prediction. In resectable NSCLC, tumour-informed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) assay demonstrated high sensitivity for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection, with MRD clearance following neoadjuvant osimertinib or chemo-immunotherapy associated with favorable outcomes. In advanced NSCLC, longitudinal liquid biopsy analyses reveal dynamic subclonal evolution driving early treatment resistance. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) clearance following targeted therapy in MET exon 14 skipping and BRAF-mutated tumors was associated with improved clinical outcomes. Emerging biomarkers such as ctDNA tumour fraction and circulating microRNA signatures are promising for radiotherapy stratification and prediction of immunotherapy-related toxicities. In SCLC, MRD monitoring enables earlier detection of disease progression and supports ctDNA-guided selection of patients for consolidation immunotherapy following chemotherapy. Overall, these advances demonstrate the expanding role of liquid biopsy in improving early detection, guiding treatment, and improving disease monitoring in lung cancer.

PMID:41438843 | PMC:PMC12720026 | DOI:10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100449

Eur J Cancer. 2025 Dec 9;231:116050. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2025.116050. Epub 2025 Oct 20.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a versatile biomarker in solid tumors. Extensive research supports their clinical relevance and led to regulatory approval in breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. However, clinical adoption remains limited mainly due to the lack of consensus and standardized technologies. Additionally, CTC research lacks unified direction. To address these gaps, an international expert panel was established to assess the current and future clinical utility of CTCs.

METHODS: A panel of 11 CTC experts identified key areas of controversy, informing a structured survey distributed to 55 international multidisciplinary experts. Consensus was predefined as ≥ 70 % agreement. Areas without consensus were discussed in a virtual meeting, leading to final statements on the clinical integration of CTCs.

RESULTS: Thirty-seven experts completed the survey. Consensus was reached on the clinical utility of CTCs for prognosis and treatment monitoring in metastatic breast (BC) and prostate (PC) cancers, including AR-V7 testing in metastatic castration-resistant PC for therapy selection. In other tumors, CTCs remain investigational. Experts agreed that while clinical utility is not yet established in early-stage disease, CTCs show promise in early BC, especially combined with cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for minimal residual disease detection. CellSearch® is currently the only platform with high-level evidence for clinical use, though emerging technologies are promising. Key challenges include improving detection sensitivity/specificity, standardizing workflows, generating robust data, and clinician education. Experts emphasized shifting from enumeration to phenotypic and molecular characterization, particularly for treatment guidance, and highlighted the complementary role of CTCs and cfDNA, advocating for integrated liquid biopsy approaches.

CONCLUSIONS: This consensus offers practical guidance for clinical integration of CTCs and outlines strategic research priorities to unlock their full potential in precision oncology.

PMID:41172567 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejca.2025.116050

J Liq Biopsy. 2025 Aug 6;9:100320. doi: 10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100320. eCollection 2025 Sep.

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, liquid biopsy has progressively expanded its role in oncology, supported by mounting evidence demonstrating an increasing number of clinical applications. At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, liquid biopsy emerged as a central theme across multiple sessions, with more than 700 abstracts, investigating the clinical utility of liquid biopsy across a wide range of tumor types and disease stages. Applications presented included cancer screening, minimal residual disease (MRD) detection, management of metastatic disease, and potential use for matching patients to clinical trials. This editorial, authored on the behalf of the Young Committee of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB) highlights the result of selected studies, grouped by tumor type.

PMID:40980343 | PMC:PMC12447415 | DOI:10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100320

J Liq Biopsy. 2025 Jul 16;9:100312. doi: 10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100312. eCollection 2025 Sep.

ABSTRACT

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. It represents a heterogeneous group of diseases with distinct morphological, immunophenotypic, and molecular profiles, which significantly impact clinical behavior and therapeutic response. Moreover, under treatment pressure, tumor cells may undergo molecular changes and phenotypic plasticity, leading to resistance and therapeutic failure. Although tissue biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis and molecular characterization, it has several limitations, including invasiveness, sampling bias, and the inability to dynamically capture tumor evolution over time. Hence, a non-invasive and repeatable approach capable of real-time monitoring is increasingly needed. Liquid biopsy (LB), through the analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), has emerged as a powerful tool to complement tissue biopsy. It allows for longitudinal assessment of tumor burden, detection of minimal residual disease, and identification of molecular alterations relevant to targeted therapies. Despite promising results, the integration of LB into clinical practice is still limited by methodological heterogeneity, standardization gaps, and regulatory issues. Nonetheless, LB represents a key advancement toward precision oncology and may become essential in the personalized management of BC patients. In this review, we explore the current applications, benefits, and technical limitations of LB in different BC settings. We provide a comprehensive overview of the biological and clinical significance of CTCs and ctDNA, emphasizing their diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive roles. Finally, we present an updated summary of ongoing clinical trials that incorporate LB for clinical decision-making.

PMID:40740670 | PMC:PMC12308030 | DOI:10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100312

Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2025 May 28;213:104776. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2025.104776. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, liquid biopsy (LB) has emerged as a key tool in oncology. Its utility in non-invasive sampling and real-time monitoring has made it a cornerstone in precision medicine. Since 2020, publications on LB in solid tumors have doubled, underscoring its pivotal role in advancing cancer care. Notably, 2024 marked a peak in scientific papers on this topic. Blood remained the most studied biofluid, with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as the most frequently analyzed analyte, followed by circulating tumor cells, extracellular vesicles, and microRNAs. Among tumor types, gastrointestinal, lung, breast, and genitourinary cancers were the most investigated, collectively accounting for more than half of the studies. Early cancer and minimal residual disease detection are critical areas of interest, emphasizing the expanding potential of fragmentomics and methylation profiling, as well as the prognostic significance of ctDNA across various cancer types. Moreover, serial ctDNA monitoring demonstrated the ability to predict relapse and guide treatment (de)-escalation strategies. In metastatic setting, ctDNA profiling plays a crucial role in capturing tumor heterogeneity, detecting resistance mechanisms, and informing treatment selection. Non-blood biofluids gained interest for their potential to enhance the detection of clinically relevant alterations in different cancer types such as central nervous system and head and neck cancers. Other than biomarkers selection, the technological advancements and artificial intelligence significantly improved the sensitivity and specificity of LB assays. This evidence in combination with the rapid advancement of machine learning and other computational approaches, are paving the way for a new chapter of LB research.

PMID:40447209 | DOI:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2025.104776

J Liq Biopsy. 2025 Mar 27;8:100293. doi: 10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100293. eCollection 2025 Jun.

ABSTRACT

Liquid biopsy (LB) has emerged as a transformative tool in oncology, providing a minimally invasive approach for tumor detection, molecular characterization, and real-time treatment monitoring. By analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular vesicles (EVs), and microRNA (miRNA), LB enables comprehensive tumor profiling without the need for traditional tissue biopsies. Over the past decade, research in this field has expanded exponentially, leading to the integration of LB into clinical practice for specific cancer types, including lung and breast cancer. In 2024, the Journal of Liquid Biopsy (JLB) published innovative studies exploring the latest advancements in LB technologies, biomarkers, and their applications for cancer detection, minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring, and therapy response assessment. This review synthesizes recent findings on the role of LB in cancer treatment and monitoring across different biomarkers, with a particular focus on newly published studies and their context within translational research. Additionally, it highlights emerging techniques such as fragmentomics, artificial intelligence, and multiomics, paving the way for more precise, personalized treatment decisions. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in standardizing methodologies, optimizing clinical validation, and integrating LB into routine oncological workflows. This mini-review highlights the evolving landscape of LB research and its potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and therapeutic decision-making, ushering in a new era of precision oncology.

PMID:40255897 | PMC:PMC12008596 | DOI:10.1016/j.jlb.2025.100293