Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania have found that liquid biopsy can help to predict the prognosis of glioblastoma(GBM), the most aggressive and common brain cancer in adults.
The study indicated that patients with a higher concentration of cfDNA have shorter progression-free survival than those with less cfDNA.
Furthermore, cfDNA increases in patients either at the time of or just before their disease progresses.
Liquid biopsy was compared with the genetic sequencing of solid tissue biopsies in GBM cases.
Both biopsies detected the genetic mutations in over half of the patients and none of the mutations overlapped, indicating that the liquid biopsy may provide complementary information about the genetic constitution of each tumour.
An estimated 11,000 cases of GBM are diagnosed every year, with a five-year survival rate between 5 and 10%.