Translational Application of Circulating DNA in Oncology: Review of the Last Decades Achievements
Natalia O. Tuaeva,
Luca Falzone,
Yuri B. Porozov,
Alexander E. Nosyrev,
Vladimir M. Trukhan,
Leda Kovatsi,
Demetrios A. Spandidos,
Nikolaos Drakoulis,
Alexandra Kalogeraki,
Charalampos Mamoulakis,
George Tzanakakis,
Massimo Libra,
Aristides Tsatsakis
Affiliations
Natalia O. Tuaeva
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119048 Moscow, Russia
Luca Falzone
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnlogical Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Yuri B. Porozov
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119048 Moscow, Russia
Alexander E. Nosyrev
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119048 Moscow, Russia
Vladimir M. Trukhan
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119048 Moscow, Russia
Leda Kovatsi
Laboratory of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54248 Thessaloniki, Greece
Demetrios A. Spandidos
Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, 70013 Crete, Greece
Nikolaos Drakoulis
Research Group of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Zografou, Greece
Alexandra Kalogeraki
Department of Pathology-Cytopathology, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, 70013 Crete, Greece
Charalampos Mamoulakis
Department of Urology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, University of Crete, Medical School, Heraklion, 70013 Crete, Greece
George Tzanakakis
Laboratory of Anatomy-Histology-Embryology, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, 70013 Crete, Greece
Massimo Libra
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnlogical Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Aristides Tsatsakis
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119048 Moscow, Russia
In recent years, the introduction of new molecular techniques in experimental and clinical settings has allowed researchers and clinicians to propose circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis and liquid biopsy as novel promising strategies for the early diagnosis of cancer and for the definition of patients’ prognosis. It was widely demonstrated that through the non-invasive analysis of ctDNA, it is possible to identify and characterize the mutational status of tumors while avoiding invasive diagnostic strategies. Although a number of studies on ctDNA in patients’ samples significantly contributed to the improvement of oncology practice, some investigations generated conflicting data about the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ctDNA. Hence, to highlight the relevant achievements obtained so far in this field, a clearer description of the current methodologies used, as well as the obtained results, are strongly needed. On these bases, this review discusses the most relevant studies on ctDNA analysis in cancer, as well as the future directions and applications of liquid biopsy. In particular, special attention was paid to the early diagnosis of primary cancer, to the diagnosis of tumors with an unknown primary location, and finally to the prognosis of cancer patients. Furthermore, the current limitations of ctDNA-based approaches and possible strategies to overcome these limitations are presented.
