Best Practices and Research Advances in Thoracic Oncology: A Regional Series SE Asia Course 1: Liquid Biopsy in Lung Cancer-Common Problems of Liquid Biopsy: The Pathologist Point of View

Common Problems of Liquid Biopsy: The Pathologist Point of View

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Yulha Choi from Samsung Medical Center presented on the challenges of liquid biopsy from a pathologist's perspective. Liquid biopsies, which analyze circulating tumor DNA and cells in blood, offer non-invasive cancer diagnostic and monitoring advantages. However, challenges include low sensitivity and specificity, particularly in early-stage cancers, causing false negatives and positives. There are variability issues due to lack of standardized ctDNA sample collection and processing. Despite numerous technologies for mutation detection, low-frequency mutations often remain undetected. Moreover, analyzing RNA and proteins remains challenging due to their instability. Clonal hematopoiesis poses false-positive risks by mixing benign age-related mutations with cancer-related ones. The interpretation of results needs caution given possible mutational changes over time. While FDA approval exists for some tests, costs and lack of accessibility limit widespread use. Future improvements include increasing sensitivity, standardizing protocols, and utilizing AI to enhance data interpretation.

Asset Subtitle

Yoon La Choi, MD, PhD

Keywords

liquid biopsy

cancer diagnostics

ctDNA challenges

mutation detection

AI in healthcare