[Medical Q&A] What is the technology of "liquid biopsy" in cancer treatment?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Liu Weiping, Chief Physician, Peking University Cancer Hospital

Liquid biopsy is a non-invasive cancer detection technology. It mainly obtains tumor-related information by analyzing tumor gene fragments and exosomes in body fluids such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Compared with traditional tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy has the advantages of simple operation, less pain and repeated sampling. This technology can be used to detect cancer early, evaluate treatment effects and monitor disease changes.

Cancer cells release genetic material into the blood, and liquid biopsy uses highly sensitive molecular biology technologies such as digital PCR or next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect cancer-specific gene mutations or other markers in the blood, thereby achieving early diagnosis of cancer.

However, liquid biopsy also has certain limitations. For example, the accuracy of the test may be affected by many factors, and it cannot completely replace tissue biopsy at present. With the development of technology, the application prospects of liquid biopsy in clinical practice are very broad, and it is expected to become an important tool for cancer management in the future.