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27-07-2017 | Hepatocellular carcinoma | Book chapter | Article

14. Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Liquid Biopsy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Authors: Ismail Labgaa, MD, Amanda J. Craig, BS, Augusto Villanueva, MD, PhD

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Abstract

Liver cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A majority of patients are diagnosed at intermediate or advanced stage and are no longer candidates for curative treatment. Molecular characterization of the tumor would presumably provide valuable insights for developing novel treatments, but tissue samples are difficult to obtain, especially for nonsurgical patients. Therefore, liquid biopsy represents a noninvasive means to access the genomic information of the tumor and can easily be repeated to monitor tumor evolution. Recent technological progress and preliminary results suggest that liquid biopsy could play a central role in the future management of liver cancer.

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Medicine Matters Oncology

Abstract