Liquid Biopsy in Female Genital Tract (Ovarian Cancer, Endometrial Tumor, and Cervical Tumor) Publisher



Aghamir SMK¹ ; Zadeh SST¹ ; Jahanshahi F² ; Roudgari H^{3, 4}
Source: Liquid Biopsy in Urogenital Cancers and its Clinical Utility Published:2022

Abstract

Gynecological malignancies primarily including ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers are posing a great burden on national healthcare systems. Although tremendous efforts have been made for early detection and treatment of these cancers, there are still several challenges such as the lack of a highly sensitive method for early detection, particularly for ovarian and endometrial cancers. Moreover, the late stages of these malignancies with remarkable mortality rates are another issue that has not yet been addressed. Liquid biopsy approaches including circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), RNAs, and exosomes are essential techniques for cancer diagnosis, predicting cancer prognosis, and assessing tumor response to a specific treatment. Evaluating the applicability of different liquid biopsy approaches in gynecological malignancies has been of particular interest in many recent studies. The findings of these studies have been satisfactory and innumerous studies suggested liquid biopsy as a valuable method for managing gynecological malignancies; however, its potential for being a routine clinical practice demands further investigations and data collection. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.