Epigenetic liquid biopsies for minimal residual disease, what’s around the corner?

Autor: Andrew D. Johnston, Jason P. Ross, Chenkai Ma, Kim Y. C. Fung, Warwick J. Locke
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Oncology, Vol 13 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2234-943X
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1103797
Popis: Liquid biopsy assays for minimal residual disease (MRD) are used to monitor and inform oncological treatment and predict the risk of relapse in cancer patients. To-date, most MRD assay development has focused on targeting somatic mutations. However, epigenetic changes are more frequent and universal than genetic alterations in cancer and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) retains much of these changes. Here, we review the epigenetic signals that can be used to detect MRD, including DNA methylation alterations and fragmentation patterns that differentiate ctDNA from noncancerous circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA). We then summarize the current state of MRD monitoring; highlight the advantages of epigenetics over genetics-based approaches; and discuss the emerging paradigm of assaying both genetic and epigenetic targets to monitor treatment response, detect disease recurrence, and inform adjuvant therapy.
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