During the past years, interest in the use of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) as a non-invasive cancer biomarker has grown rapidly. Improvements in the genomic and molecular methods employed for ctDNA analysis are expanding the range of its potential applications, both in research settings and as a tool with clinical utility for cancer management. Several studies have demonstrated the attainability of ctDNA analysis to monitor response to treatment, assess the emergence of drug resistance and quantify minimal residual disease. In order to drive the implementation of ctDNA in personalized oncology and in cancer research several challenges remain to be circumvented.
Analytical TechniquesCancer ResearchMolecular Biology