liquid biopsy
A non-invasive test that detects cancer-related material in blood or other body fluids.
Full Definition
A liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive diagnostic technique that analyzes circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA, exosomes, or other cancer-related biomarkers present in blood, urine, or other body fluids. Unlike traditional tissue biopsies, liquid biopsies can be performed repeatedly to monitor disease progression, treatment response, and emergence of resistance mutations. This technology has applications in cancer screening, molecular profiling, minimal residual disease detection, and monitoring treatment response. Liquid biopsies are particularly valuable when tissue biopsies are technically challenging or when serial monitoring is needed to track tumor evolution over time.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenate as an adjective (liquid-biopsy test) but not as a noun.
In Context
- "Liquid biopsy detected an EGFR T790M resistance mutation after six months of treatment." — Molecular testing report
- "The patient underwent liquid biopsy for tumor genotyping due to inaccessible lesion location." — Clinical decision rationale