Liquid Biopsy- A New Paradigm in Breast Cancer Management

Early detection is the holy grail of cancer research and any effort to enhance detection of cancer at an early stage is of outmost importance. Blood circulating tumour biomarkers, including circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), are rapidly changing the therapeutic landscape of Breast cancer. The isolation and molecular analysis of circulating biomarkers in patient blood is one of the most promising approaches to identifying disease in a systemic phase. A change in CTC and/or ctDNA load is also actively being investigated as a surrogate marker for the assessment of therapeutic efficacy. The possibility of using CTCs and ctDNA for establishing the mutational landscape of Breastcancer not only before treatment but also during its course has been reported in anumber of recent studies, paving the way to more personalized and dynamic treatments for these patients. In this seminar, I will present some of the recent advances in development of non-invasive blood (and urine) tests for detection of CTCs and ctDNA in Breast cancer patients. I will showcase promising clinical results regarding the clinical utility of these biomarkers in Breast cancer management