Liquid biopsy and tumor derived exosomes in clinical practice

Abstract

Tumors are complex tissues that interact in many different ways. Tissue biopsies provide a great amount of information and remain the gold standard for tumor diagnosis. However, they cannot always be performed due to the invasive nature of the procedure and in such circumstances, a liquid biopsy could provide a solution. Liquid biopsy is defined as the search of biomarkers in peripheral blood. To date, there are three main research fields: (1) circulating tumor cells (CTCs); (2) circulating free tumor nucleic acids (cfNA) and (3) exosomes, small vesicles containing various types of signaling molecules capable of modulating a tumor-immune response. In recent years, exosomes have arisen as a powerful tool both to further our understanding of cancer biology and to improve clinical management. We review how the isolation and study of exosomes from liquid biopsies may affect clinical practice.