The Challenges and Perspectives of Liquid Biopsy in Brazil:
A Critical Review and Recommendations

Therapeutic advance in oncology treatments are due in part to a more complete understanding of its genomic portrait. The serial monitoring of tumor genotypes, which are instable and prone to changes under selective pressure, is becoming increasingly needed. Although tumor biopsies remain the reference standard for the diagnosis and genotyping of many types of cancer, they are invasive and not always feasible. The"liquid biopsies" have the potential to overcome many of these hurdles, allowing a rapid and accurate identification of de nov and resistant genetic alterations and a real-time monitoring of treatment responses. Liquid biopsies, or analyses of tumor-specific genetic alterations int he plasma or serum of patients, are particularly esteemed because they can offer temporal quantifications of the total tumor burden as well as detect acquired drug resistance mutations that arise during the treatment with target agents.

In August of 2018, the Americas Health Foundation (AHF) convened a meeting of Brazilian experts on oncology and the screening of genetic mutations, particularly through the use of liquid biopsies, to develop recommendations on the use of liquid biopsies as a standard part of tumor management in Brazil. The resulting paper, "The Challenges and Perspectives of Liquid Biopsy in Brazil: A Critical Review and Recommendations", has been published in Precision Medicine Journal. Click here to read the full article.