Liquid biopsy is a new technique for diagnosing and monitoring cancer that has undoubtedly revolutionised the field of oncology research in recent years.
It involves analysing a blood sample to confirm or rule out the presence of tumour cells and studying their DNA to personalise treatment. Thanks to liquid biopsy, we can know at all times the status of the tumour, the key alterations of the disease, and decide on the best treatment for the patient.
At the FERO Foundation, we strongly support this technology, as demonstrated by programmes such as the Advanced Molecular Diagnostics Programme (DIAMAV) and the Precision Medicine Unit in Oncology at INCLIVA, as well as the award-winning FERO Fellowship projects led by Dr César Serrano, Dr Joaquín Mateo, and Dr Héctor Peinado.
The Advanced Molecular Diagnostics Programme (DIAMAV)
This programme focuses on technological innovation for the identification and characterisation of new therapeutic targets in cancer patients who are candidates for experimental immunotherapy in its early stages. Ana Vivancos, Head of the Cancer Genomics Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), tells us about her research group’s contributions to the field of oncology:
“It is a strategic programme because it allows us to reach a very precise level of molecular testing. It positions us very well in terms of improving our understanding of patients’ tumours, but it also enables us to carry out extensive clinical research development within early-phase clinical trials. Using all this molecular information allows us to better determine the type of treatment that suits each patient and probably improve their quality of life, seek to improve their survival, and their response to treatment.”
Liquid biopsy vs. traditional biopsy
Dr Vivancos explains that a traditional biopsy involves obtaining a sample of the tumour from the part of the body where it is located and therefore requires a minor procedure: “You have to reach the tumour site and extract a tissue sample in order to carry out studies of the different biomarkers.”
Analysing the tumour with a traditional biopsy is more invasive than with a liquid biopsy, as the former requires an operation and the latter a blood draw. In addition, a traditional biopsy can only be performed a couple of times during the course of treatment due to its complexity, whereas a liquid biopsy can be performed as many times as desired.
How does liquid biopsy work?
We know that tumours release genomic DNA, that is, DNA material into the blood when they are growing. Thus, using a blood sample, liquid biopsy studies the presence of these circulating tumour-derived genomic DNA molecules.
In this regard, we can use liquid biopsy to monitor the different biomarkers that we can identify in blood, such as the presence of mutations that we can treat in the patient or the emergence of certain molecular resistance mechanisms—information that allows us to change treatment or continue if the patient is responding to therapy.
Today, we are using liquid biopsy in scenarios where, for example, the patient’s primary tumour is surgically removed. It can tell us whether tumour cells remain in the patient after the operation.
