Liquid Biopsy in Head and Neck Cancer: Promises and Challenges

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It remains one of the leading causes of death, and its early detection is crucial. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising tool for detecting and monitoring the disease status of patients with early and advanced cancers. Circulating tu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Dental Research 2018-06, Vol.97 (6), p.701-708
Main Authors: Nonaka, T., Wong, D.T.W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomarkers
Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis
Biopsy
Body fluids
Breast cancer
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA, Neoplasm - analysis
Genomes
Head & neck cancer
Head and Neck Neoplasms - diagnosis
Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology
Human papillomavirus
Humans
Larynx
Liquid Biopsy - methods
Lung cancer
Mutation
Oral cancer
Patients
Plasma
Polymerase chain reaction
Precision medicine
Reviews
Saliva - chemistry
Therapeutic applications
Tumor cells
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It remains one of the leading causes of death, and its early detection is crucial. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising tool for detecting and monitoring the disease status of patients with early and advanced cancers. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and exosomal miRNAs have received enormous attention because of their apparent clinical implications. Analyses of these circulating biomarkers have paved the way for novel therapeutic approaches and precision medicine. A growing number of reports have implicated the use of circulating biomarkers for detection, treatment planning, response monitoring, and prognosis assessment. Although these new biomarkers can provide a wide range of possible clinical applications, no validated circulating biomarkers have yet been integrated into clinical practice for head and neck cancer. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of circulating biomarkers in this field, focusing on their feasibility, limitations, and key areas of clinical applications. We also highlight recent advances in salivary diagnostics and their potential application in head and neck cancer.
ISSN:0022-0345
1544-0591
DOI:10.1177/0022034518762071