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

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

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