Liquid biopsy: a new diagnostic modality

Abstract

The liquid biopsy is the most promising technology in the modern days. It plays a significant role in the diagnosis, management and finding out the minimal residual disease in carcinoma. There are three components of the liquid biopsy: circulating tumour cells (CTC), cell-free DNA (cf-DNA), and exosomes. These components carry vital information, and with the help of sophisticated technology, one can extract a large amount of data from them. The detection of the tumour-specific gene mutation in the CTC or cf-DNA may guide the clinicians about the selection of the appropriate chemotherapeutic agents. The liquid biopsy is still not applied for routine clinical use, and more research is needed in this field. In this review, the techniques and applications of liquid biopsy have been discussed.