Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with prognosis significantly deteriorating at advanced stages. While current diagnostic methods, such as colonoscopy and tissue biopsy, are widely employed in clinical practice, they ar...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Translational Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8937/5/2/14 |
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| author | Yan Li Qiong Zhang Shelly Cook |
| author_facet | Yan Li Qiong Zhang Shelly Cook |
| author_sort | Yan Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with prognosis significantly deteriorating at advanced stages. While current diagnostic methods, such as colonoscopy and tissue biopsy, are widely employed in clinical practice, they are invasive, expensive, and limited in assessing tumor heterogeneity and monitoring disease processes, including therapy response. Therefore, early and accurate detection, coupled with minimal invasion and cost-effective strategies, are critical for improving patient outcomes. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising, minimally invasive alternative, enabling the detection of tumor-derived components. This approach is increasingly utilized in clinical settings. The current key liquid biopsy modalities in CRC include circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and RNA-based biomarkers such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs(miRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), and tumor-educated platelets (TEPs). These methods provide valuable insights into genetic and epigenetic tumor alterations, and serve as indicators for early detection, treatment monitoring, and recurrence prediction. However, challenges such as assay standardization and variability in sensitivity persist. This review delves into the clinical applications of liquid biopsy in CRC management, highlighting the transformative roles of ctDNA, CTCs, and non-coding RNAs, TEPs in early detection, prognostic assessment, and personalized therapy. In addition, it addresses current limitations and explores potential advancements to facilitate their integration into routine clinical practice. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e574590bafb54baa8a8c186df352ae4c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-8937 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | International Journal of Translational Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-e574590bafb54baa8a8c186df352ae4c2025-08-20T03:24:39ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Translational Medicine2673-89372025-03-01521410.3390/ijtm5020014Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical ApplicationYan Li0Qiong Zhang1Shelly Cook2Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71130, USADepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison, WI 53792, USADepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison, WI 53792, USAColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with prognosis significantly deteriorating at advanced stages. While current diagnostic methods, such as colonoscopy and tissue biopsy, are widely employed in clinical practice, they are invasive, expensive, and limited in assessing tumor heterogeneity and monitoring disease processes, including therapy response. Therefore, early and accurate detection, coupled with minimal invasion and cost-effective strategies, are critical for improving patient outcomes. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising, minimally invasive alternative, enabling the detection of tumor-derived components. This approach is increasingly utilized in clinical settings. The current key liquid biopsy modalities in CRC include circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and RNA-based biomarkers such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs(miRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), and tumor-educated platelets (TEPs). These methods provide valuable insights into genetic and epigenetic tumor alterations, and serve as indicators for early detection, treatment monitoring, and recurrence prediction. However, challenges such as assay standardization and variability in sensitivity persist. This review delves into the clinical applications of liquid biopsy in CRC management, highlighting the transformative roles of ctDNA, CTCs, and non-coding RNAs, TEPs in early detection, prognostic assessment, and personalized therapy. In addition, it addresses current limitations and explores potential advancements to facilitate their integration into routine clinical practice.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8937/5/2/14colorectal cancerctDNACTCslncRNAliquid biopsy |
| spellingShingle | Yan Li Qiong Zhang Shelly Cook Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application International Journal of Translational Medicine colorectal cancer ctDNA CTCs lncRNA liquid biopsy |
| title | Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application |
| title_full | Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application |
| title_fullStr | Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application |
| title_full_unstemmed | Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application |
| title_short | Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Detection and Clinical Application |
| title_sort | liquid biopsy for colorectal cancer advancing detection and clinical application |
| topic | colorectal cancer ctDNA CTCs lncRNA liquid biopsy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8937/5/2/14 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yanli liquidbiopsyforcolorectalcanceradvancingdetectionandclinicalapplication AT qiongzhang liquidbiopsyforcolorectalcanceradvancingdetectionandclinicalapplication AT shellycook liquidbiopsyforcolorectalcanceradvancingdetectionandclinicalapplication |