Abstract
Liquid biopsies could be considered an excellent diagnostic tool, in different physiological or pathological conditions. The possibility of using liquid biopsies for non-invasive clinical purposes is quite an old idea: indeed many years ago it was already being used in the field of non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) for autosomal fetal aneuploidy evaluation. In 1997 Lo et al. had identified fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum, showing that about 10–15% of cfDNA in maternal plasma is derived from the placenta, and biologic fluid represents an important and non-invasive technique to evaluate state diseases and possible therapies. Nowadays, several body fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva and other patient samples, could be used as liquid biopsy for clinical non-invasive evaluation. These fluids contain numerous and various biomarkers and could be used for the evaluation of pathological and non-pathological conditions. In this review we will analyze the different types of liquid biopsy, their potential role in clinical diagnosis and the functional involvement of extracellular vesicles in these fluids as carriers.
Highlights
Several biological body fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva, breast milk and other patient samples, can be used for clinical investigations, because they contain numerous biomarkers [1]
These nano-sized vesicles, which were initially thought to be vesicles for waste management, have a critical role in the initiation, progression and metastasis of cancer. The characterization of these vesicles within blood is becoming critical for early diagnosis and intervention in many cancers. This fluid is already used for different cancer diagnoses, in particular for melanoma, lymphoma [36], oral [37], lung [38], gastrointestinal [39], colono-rectal [40], pancreatic, liver [41], ovarian [42], prostate [43], breast [44] and for identification of pathological conditions; in particular, it is used for evaluation of Sjogren’s syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by dryness of the mouth and eyes [45]
The recent bibliography demonstrates that this liquid biopsy is currently use, in particular for inflammatory or osteoarthritis detection, but it is possible that this fluid has a crucial role in cancer evaluation (Table 1)
Summary
Several biological body fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva, breast milk and other patient samples, can be used for clinical investigations, because they contain numerous biomarkers [1]. Liquid biopsies can have different functions: they can be used as a diagnosis of physiological situations, inflammatory processes, and in particular they represent a valid and practical minimally invasive tool for the analysis of tumor-derived materials This represents a useful tool for the detection of molecular biomarkers in cancer patients [3]. Within liquid biopsies we can find molecules, DNA and RNA and different types of extracellular vesicle (EV) particles which were recently discovered to be possible analytes for liquid biopsies [5,6] Extracellular vesicles have both protective and pathological effects and can be detected in various body fluids including urine, saliva, blood, plasma, amniotic fluid, breast milk, pleural ascites, synovial fluid, and cerebral spinal fluid [7]. Liquid biopsy analyses could become the preferred choice of evaluation for addressing the challenges of early disease monitoring, the effect of curative treatments, and early diagnosis of disease recurrence
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
