Abstract
Liquid biopsy technologies have the potential to transform cancer patient management as it offers non-invasive diagnosis and real-time monitoring of disease progression and treatment responses. The use of liquid biopsy for non-invasive cancer diagnosis can have pivotal importance for the African continent where access to medical infrastructures is limited, as it eliminates the need for surgical biopsies. To apply liquid biopsy technologies in the African setting, the influence of environmental and population genetic factors must be known. In this review, we discuss the use of circulating tumor cells, cell-free nucleic acids, extracellular vesicles, protein, and other biomolecules in liquid biopsy technology for cancer management with special focus on African studies. We discussed the prospect, barriers, and other aspects that pose challenges to the use of liquid biopsy in the African continent.
Highlights
Cancer is a growing public health threat globally
Lung cancer had the highest incidence among males in 2018, with prostate cancer having the highest mortality burden among African men
This requires that more African-based studies are done to validate the applicability of circulating biomarkers and liquid biopsy technologies in diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Africa
Summary
Cancer is a growing public health threat globally. GLOBOCAN 2018 data showed an overall increase in cancer cases worldwide with 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million cancer deaths in. More cancers in Africa and Asia are related to infective pathogens than in other continents This requires that more African-based studies are done to validate the applicability of circulating biomarkers and liquid biopsy technologies in diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Africa. Tumor genetics, and epigenetic variations need to be explored and taken into account to identify population-specific cancer biomarkers in liquid biopsy adapted and optimized for diagnostic use in African countries. We aim at reviewing studies on the role of circulating tumor molecules in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, with a particular focus in the African continent.
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