MOLECULAR EXAMINATIONS
Liquid Biopsy
Learn more about the medical services
related to Liquid Biopsy
LEARN ABOUT THE EXAMINATION
What is Liquid Biopsy?
Liquid biopsy is a new, modern method of testing that uses a small amount of blood .
It is mainly used to monitor cancer , without having to take a tissue sample through surgery — as in a “regular” biopsy.
How it works
Tiny pieces of genetic material (DNA, RNA) and cells from various tissues — and sometimes tumors — circulate in our blood .
A liquid biopsy “looks for” these pieces and can show:
- if the tumor changes or responds to treatment ,
- or if there is a risk of recurrence after treatment.
Advantages
- No surgery needed — just a blood draw .
- It is quick and can be done many times to see the progress of the treatment.
- It provides valuable information about the type and behavior of cancer.
What do we need to know?
Liquid biopsy does not completely replace conventional biopsy — it is complementary .
It is still being improved and cannot always detect very small or early tumors .
However, it is believed that in the future it will play a huge role in early diagnosis and personalized cancer treatment .
When the patient cannot support a repeat biopsy
-When the tumor is inaccessible
-When the available tissue is minimal or exhausted (paraffin cube)
-When a repeat biopsy is not recommended
-When the patient does not respond to treatment and there is a need for reassessment
- To detect mutations or molecular markers
When molecular characterization (e.g. EGFR, KRAS, BRAF) is needed for targeted therapies, and tissue is not available or its quality is poor. - To monitor response to treatment
For example, through the quantitative measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) , it can be assessed whether treatment reduces the disease. - For the early detection of minimal residual disease (MRD)
After surgery or chemotherapy, it can detect small amounts of cancer DNA that indicate a risk of recurrence. - To detect resistance to treatment
If the tumor develops a new mutation associated with resistance (e.g. T790M in lung cancer), liquid biopsy can detect it before a new tissue biopsy is needed. - In early screening
Still research-based, but used for early detection of cancer in asymptomatic individuals (multi-cancer early detection tests).
-Free circulating DNA levels decrease immediately after surgical removal of the tumor or chemotherapy, making its isolation more difficult [PMID: 31373349].
-Liquid biopsy cannot establish a primary diagnosis, nor can it replace histological/cytological diagnosis in individuals with suspected cancer
( https://www.cap.org/member-resources/articles/the-liquid-biopsy ). It also lags behind in detecting genetic alterations in early-stage patients due to the minimal amount of free circulating tumor DNA in the peripheral blood. In such cases, histological/cytological material from the tumor is the appropriate specimen for molecular testing [PMID: 31373349].
-Only a subset of cancers release significant numbers of circulating tumor cells into the periphery to be detectable [PMID: 28814544, PMID: 29569666]. Therefore, liquid biopsy should be applied on a case-by-case basis.
-High levels of free circulating DNA are not found exclusively in cancer, but are also observed in other pathological conditions, including pro-inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders [PMID: 31373349].
-Due to the cellular heterogeneity often observed within tumors, both free circulating DNA carrying mutations and free circulating DNA not carrying mutations, both originating from the tumor, can be released into the blood [PMID: 31373349].
-Free circulating DNA levels in the periphery are influenced by mutational load and disease stage, tumor location and size, vascularity, and the rate of cell apoptosis within the tumor [PMID: 31373349, PMID: 24553385].
Learn more about the medical services related to Liquid Biopsy
I WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THE EXAMINATION
I WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THE EXAMINATION
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
LI.B.E.R.O. & LI.B.E.R.O. PLUS guides the appropriate treatment choice for primary and metastatic forms of the disease, reassesses the efficacy of the existing treatment regimen in case of resistance development and suggests therapies approved by the FDA and EMA. At the same time, it identifies potential mutations in distant, unresectable metastatic foci, captures tumor heterogeneity and offers a complete genomic profile of the tumor, while providing immediate results so that treatment can be started as soon as possible.
A small amount of blood (~20 ml) is taken, as in a routine hematology test. In case the blood collection is not done at Microdiagnostics facilities, the blood should be collected in 10ml Streck vials (please contact us to supply them to you).
Transport conditions: The blood vials are kept at room temperature. Please note that the blood should not be refrigerated, exposed to ice packs, or frozen. After collection, it is recommended that it be transported at Microdiagnostics facilities as soon as possible.
Contact us immediately to arrange for its safe and rapid transport to our laboratory. You will also need to quickly and easily complete the Consent Form.
Our team will undertake the quick and safe transport of the sample to our laboratory, please inform us at tel. 2310 232 272.
By cash, bank card, bank deposit, or Online interbank deposit.
One of the primary concerns at Microdiagnostics is the protection of your personal data as well as the strict observance of the conditions of protection of your genetic material and medical results. In full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we ensure that any test performed is done with your knowledge and consent and we do not communicate results over the phone.