Over the past decades, we have witnessed the revolutionary growth of cancer research fueled by Precision oncology, where biomarker-based treatment approaches are at the focal point. Cancer diagnosis and its management have reached a new dimension where clinicians are more focused on minimally invasive techniques like liquid biopsies for detection and treatment rather than invasive tissue biopsies.

What is a liquid biopsy test?

Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive approach used to obtain complete information on the tumor biology from circulating cancer cells, tumor-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA), or other analytes in body fluids. This technique is employed majorly for therapeutic guidance when tissue acquisition is impossible or when the specimen is inadequate and currently, it is also being used in the context of screening diagnosis and surveillance of the tumor.

Why liquid biopsies are better than tissue biopsies?

Even though tissue biopsy is considered the standard of care, that provides histologic information and is indispensable to determine the staging of a tumor, it has inherent limitations like inaccessibility to specific tumor sites and limitations in tissue sampling. Due to these reasons, this technique is still inadequate for providing reliable results on tumor intra- heterogeneity.

Compared to conventional tissue biopsies, other than providing the tumor biology information liquid biopsies enables continuous disease monitoring, detecting resistance mutation, tumor recurrence, and treatment response to medications. The accuracy of this test is greatly facilitated by the advances in molecular techniques, from PCR-based methods, DNA sequencing, and Digital PCR, to the more state-of-the-art next-generation sequencing technologies.

Liquid biopsy in Lung and breast cancers

Liquid biopsy opens up as a novel approach for the early screening, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer, overcoming the major obstacle of lung cancer which is obtaining tumor tissue. Liquid biopsy in lung cancer allows access to instantaneous molecular, genetic, and epigenetic profiles of cancer cells selected as drug-resistant clones from previous therapies.

Breast cancer is one of the few cancer having a standard screening test such as mammography. Even though it helps in the early detection of the disease, it also has a false-negative result. Studies revealed that the quantity of cfDNA in breast cancer patients was higher when compared to non-cancer patients. Thereby suggesting liquid biopsy to have discriminatory value and thus were accurate in discriminating cancer patients from non-cancer patients.

Therefore circulating biomarker analysis through Liquid biopsy is the finest minimally invasive tool able to evaluate the response to ongoing treatments, thus rapidly guiding the strategy for eventual further chemotherapy cycles or the need to change treatment strategy. The liquid biopsy also helps to determine the status of Minimal residual disease and predicts the chances of relapse in the patient.

Liquid biopsy test and result interpretation

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) isolated from plasma derived from the blood of the patients is sequenced using the next-generation sequencing technique, and the resulting sequence is compared with existing genome reference, and the mutated gene is detected.

If the test result is positive, it enables the clinician to identify specific mutations which are responsible for the tumor progression and also provides information on which FDA-approved therapy will benefit the patient. A liquid biopsy also enables the identification of multiple mutations that occurred due to the tumor heterogeneity, which are unidentified in most of the early screening tests.

If the test result is negative, it shows that the patient lacks any kind of particular genomic alterations in the case of a non-cancer patient, and for a cancer patient it indicates a lesser chance of relapse.

Cost of Liquid Biopsy in India

The liquid biopsy test is now available in numerous labs in India, 4basecare being one of the leading companies providing the most advanced and affordable comprehensive genetic testing solutions. The Biopsy Test cost in India varies from ₹25,000 to ₹2,50,000 depending on various parameters from different markers screened to the laboratory tested in India.

Where can I get the Liquid Biopsy test done in India?

4basecare is a leading precision oncology-based biotech firm that offers the most advanced genomic solutions available in India. 4baseCare provides its genetic testing portfolio focusing on both accessibility and affordability. It is curated in a way where every patient will get access to the most advanced genomic solutions, every patient will get the best chance at fighting cancer. Our trademark panel TARGT Indiegene is the most comprehensive and the world’s first population-specific genomic panel that covers a variety of genomic biomarkers along with providing insights on MSI status for a patient’s particular cancer type, thereby providing more chances of getting biomarker-specific targeted therapies.

Who and when to get tested?

Currently, the liquid biopsy test is employed by clinicians as a diagnostic and screening test since it enables both early detection and continuous monitoring of cancer. Most of the time, liquid biopsies are advised by clinicians for patients who hold complications in invasive tissue resection surgeries due to their tumor location and health status. Since this technique is minimally invasive and repeatable, it is always advised to patients who have tested positive for a particular cancer type to monitor the therapy response and for accessing the risk of relapse.

How can I book my Liquid Biopsy Test in India?

Visit the website www.4basecare.com for booking any DNA or RNA tests, and you can write to us at info@4basecare.com. Our qualified professionals will reach out to you in the shortest possible and help you get clarified with all your queries related to genetic testing beforehand.

References

1. Li, W., Liu, J. B., Hou, L. K., Yu, F., Zhang, J., Wu, W., … & Fu, D. (2022). Liquid biopsy in lung cancer: significance in diagnostics, prediction, and treatment monitoring. Molecular Cancer, 21(1), 1-15.
2. Tay, T. K. Y., & Tan, P. H. (2021). Liquid biopsy in breast cancer: a focused review. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 145(6), 678-686.
3. Cheung, A. H. K., Chow, C., & To, K. F. (2018). latest development of liquid biopsy. Journal of thoracic disease, 10(Suppl 14), S1645.