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Liquid biopsy in 2016

Circulating tumour cells and cell-free DNA in gastrointestinal cancer

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 14, pages 73–74 (2017)Cite this article

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The challenge to obtain needle biopsy samples from patients with cancer has steered the development of new blood-based diagnostics called 'liquid biopsy'. In 2016, major advances have been made in the use of circulating tumour cells and cell-free DNA for monitoring tumour evolution in patients with cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, with a focus on colorectal cancer.

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Figure 1: Key applications of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) as liquid biopsies for precision medicine.

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Acknowledgements

The authors receive support from CANCER-ID, an Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement no. 115749, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the EU's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations companies' in-kind contribution. Their work is further supported by the European Regional Development Fund as well as the Region Languedoc-Roussillon (Grands Equipements pour l'Evolution Technologique et l'Ouverture Scientifique (GEPETOS) project) and the National Institute of Cancer (to C.A.-P.) and the European Research Council Advanced Investigator grant 269081 DISSECT (to K.P.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tumour Biology, University Cancer Center Hamburg, Center of Experimental Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg–Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany

    Klaus Pantel

  2. Department of Cellular and Tissue Biopathology of Tumors, University Medical Center of Montpellier, Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells, 641, Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34093 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; and at the University of Montpellier Unit EA2415 – Help for Personalized Decision: Methodological Aspects, University Institute of Clinical Research (IURC), Montpellier, France.,

    Catherine Alix-Panabières

  3. and at the University of Montpellier Unit EA2415 – Help for Personalized Decision: Methodological Aspects, University Institute of Clinical Research (IURC), Montpellier, France.,

    Catherine Alix-Panabières

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  1. Klaus Pantel
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  2. Catherine Alix-Panabières
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Correspondence to Klaus Pantel.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Pantel, K., Alix-Panabières, C. Circulating tumour cells and cell-free DNA in gastrointestinal cancer. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14, 73–74 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.198

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