Tissue biopsies are regularly used for diagnostics of lung cancer and help in dealing with many challenges, including last-stage diagnosis and limited options available for screening, etc. Classic techniques are associated with several limitations like invasiveness, extraction of small tissue samples and tumor heterogeneity, etc. so, to overcome such limitations and challenges liquid biopsies are being investigated as an alternative to the classic techniques used earlier. This method use body fluids like, blood, saliva, urine, etc. for detecting any kind of molecular alterations in the various molecules, metabolites, and for the presence of tumor cells. Specific molecules and other entities like DNA and RNA, micro-RNA, exosomes, Circulating tumor cells, tumor endothelial cells, etc. they are also detected and analyzed with the help of liquid biopsies. Currently, this method is considered to be one of the innovative approaches to deal with cancer diagnostics. It allows us to monitor a patient’s health in real-time and can become a valuable tool for disease monitoring and treatment guidance. Considering that this technique can better guide us to manage and treat lung cancer more effectively this blog discusses the capability of liquid biopsies for the diagnosis of lung cancer.
Liquid biopsies
The liquid biopsy helps in the examination of liquid samples taken specifically from the blood, urine or serum, etc. This is the non-invasive method that helps in obtaining tumor-derived information from the various bodily fluids, blood is one of the most common fluids that is used widely for diagnosis purposes. Circulating extracellular nucleic acids incorporate cfDNA, and ctDNA which are segregated from the blood. ctDNA originates directly from the tumor, moreover, CTCs shed from the tumors and enter the bloodstream resulting in the metastasis process. Next-generation sequencing helps find genetic alterations by studying biomarkers like ctDNA and CTCs. Liquid biopsy helps in examining complex tumor cells genome. This technique helps to detect small amounts of ctDNA in the blood which helps to monitor the genetic alteration more effectively. Utilizing molecular understandings from liquid biopsy holds enormous potential for personalized cancer diagnostics and therapeutic choice.
Types of traditional tissue biopsy methods
There are four types of biopsies associated with tissue biopsies such as,
- Needle biopsy
- Image-guided biopsy
- Endoscopic biopsy
- Surgical biopsy
Limitations of tissue biopsy
Traditional biopsy methods are necessary for cancer diagnosis, they involve the extraction of tissue samples from tumor sites and are examined under the microscope for further morphological examination. It encompasses the extraction of a small piece of tumor tissue from the suspected site and is examined under the microscope for further examination. It requires skilled medical staff, Traditional tissue biopsy uses holistic approaches, that is it allows scientists to study cells morphology at microscopic levels. Although effective, traditional tissue biopsies may be linked with potential risks and invasiveness.
Biomarker analysis methods
For the better analysis of biomarkers various molecular techniques are used like,
- Digital PCR
- Next generation sequencing
- Flow cytometry
- Mass spectrometry
- Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA)
Advantages of liquid biopsy over tissue biopsy
Traditional tissue biopsies are associated with several challenges because of tumor variations, it is challenging to analyze genetic alterations. For tissue biopsies sample collection is problematic as it is tough to reach several parts where the tumor has occurred, due to its invasiveness, it increases the risk of complications, especially in immunocompromised people. Obtaining a sufficient amount of tissue for sampling is also challenging as patients have small biopsy samples available. The preservation method used in biopsies is known as formalin fixation can lead to errors. It is costly to conduct and a significant amount of time is needed for studying and obtaining results.
To deal with the above challenges liquid biopsy is used as an alternative method. In liquid biopsy biomarkers like cell-free DNA, circulatory tumor DNA, and exosomes are examined from the blood rather than taking tissue samples. Liquid biopsy shows many advantages over traditional biopsies such as, it is non-invasive, does not require preservatives, and also enables multi-testing to keep track of treatment with the help of real-time monitoring. It requires less samples for testing and is also faster than regular biopsies. This property makes them a good candidate to be utilized for the diagnosis of lung cancer.
Conclusion
This study has highlighted the advancement of liquid biopsy over tissue biopsy in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Involvement of personalized medicines provides effective result outcomes observe in many patients. Liquid biopsy provides an advanced method for diagnosing lung cancer during initial stages, additionally it provides with plenty of advantages includes real-time monitoring, early detection etc, with lesser side-effects. Its capability to overcome the limitation of tissue biopsy makes it a perfect approach for lung cancer diagnosis, and tailored treatment options makes it beneficial tool use to fight against this disease.
