Thermal Liquid Biopsy (TLB) Focused on Benign and Premalignant Pancreatic Cyst Diagnosis

Background: Current efforts in the identification of new biomarkers are directed towards an accurate differentiation between benign and premalignant cysts. Thermal Liquid Biopsy (TLB) has been previously applied to inflammatory and tumor diseases and could offer an interesting point of view in this type of pathology. Methods: In this work, twenty patients (12 males and 8 females, average ages 62) diagnosed with a pancreatic cyst benign (10) and premalignant (10) cyst lesions were recruited, and biological samples were obtained during the endoscopic ultrasonography procedure. Results: Proteomic content of cyst liquid samples was studied and several common proteins in the different groups were identified. TLB cyst liquid profiles reflected protein content. Also, TLB serum score was able to discriminate between healthy and cysts patients (71% sensitivity and 98% specificity) and between benign and premalignant cysts (75% sensitivity and 67% specificity). Conclusions: TLB analysis of plasmatic serum sample, a quick, simple and non-invasive technique that can be easily implemented, reports valuable information on the observed pancreatic lesion. These preliminary results set the basis for a larger study to refine TLB serum score and move closer to the clinical application of TLB providing useful information to the gastroenterologist during patient diagnosis.

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Correlation Between In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy and Horizontal Histopathology in Skin Cancer: A Review

Frontiers in Oncology ◽

10.3389/fonc.2021.653140 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Giuseppe Broggi ◽

Anna Elisa Verzì ◽

Rosario Caltabiano ◽

Giuseppe Micali ◽

Francesco Lacarrubba

Keyword(s):

Confocal Microscopy ◽

Daily Practice ◽

Point Of View ◽

Reflectance Confocal Microscopy ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Morphological Findings ◽

Skin Biopsies ◽

Microscopy Images

In dermatopathological daily practice, vertical histopathology sections are classically used to analyze skin biopsies. Conversely, horizontal histopathological sections are currently used for the diagnosis of some types of alopecia. In the last years the morphological findings obtained by horizontal histopathology have been correlated to those obtained by in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy which provides the same “point of view” of the skin. This review paper emphasizes the strong matching and correlation between reflectance confocal microscopy images and horizontal histopathology in cutaneous neoplasms, further demonstrating the strong reliability of this innovative, non-invasive technique in the management of skin tumors.

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Liquid Biomarkers for Improved Diagnosis and Classification of CNS Tumors

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22094548 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 4548

Author(s):

Severa Bunda ◽

Jeffrey A. Zuccato ◽

Mathew R. Voisin ◽

Justin Z. Wang ◽

Farshad Nassiri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Biopsy ◽

Cns Tumors ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Liquid Biopsies ◽

Major Step ◽

Tumor Biopsy ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Diagnosis And Classification ◽

Cns Malignancies

Liquid biopsy, as a non-invasive technique for cancer diagnosis, has emerged as a major step forward in conquering tumors. Current practice in diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) tumors involves invasive acquisition of tumor biopsy upon detection of tumor on neuroimaging. Liquid biopsy enables non-invasive, rapid, precise and, in particular, real-time cancer detection, prognosis and treatment monitoring, especially for CNS tumors. This approach can also uncover the heterogeneity of these tumors and will likely replace tissue biopsy in the future. Key components of liquid biopsy mainly include circulating tumor cells (CTC), circulating tumor nucleic acids (ctDNA, miRNA) and exosomes and samples can be obtained from the cerebrospinal fluid, plasma and serum of patients with CNS malignancies. This review covers current progress in application of liquid biopsies for diagnosis and monitoring of CNS malignancies.

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Liquid Biopsy: A Family of Possible Diagnostic Tools

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11081391 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1391

Author(s):

Battistelli Michela

Keyword(s):

Liquid Biopsy ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Liquid Biopsies ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Pathological Conditions ◽

Different Types ◽

Functional Involvement ◽

Invasive Evaluation

Liquid biopsies could be considered an excellent diagnostic tool, in different physiological or pathological conditions. The possibility of using liquid biopsies for non-invasive clinical purposes is quite an old idea: indeed many years ago it was already being used in the field of non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) for autosomal fetal aneuploidy evaluation. In 1997 Lo et al. had identified fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum, showing that about 10–15% of cfDNA in maternal plasma is derived from the placenta, and biologic fluid represents an important and non-invasive technique to evaluate state diseases and possible therapies. Nowadays, several body fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva and other patient samples, could be used as liquid biopsy for clinical non-invasive evaluation. These fluids contain numerous and various biomarkers and could be used for the evaluation of pathological and non-pathological conditions. In this review we will analyze the different types of liquid biopsy, their potential role in clinical diagnosis and the functional involvement of extracellular vesicles in these fluids as carriers.

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The accuracy of non-invasive 3D-CT virtual bronchoscopy technique in comparison with invasive technique

International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries ◽

10.24911/ijmdc.51-1538516450 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Basmah Altuwayjiri

Keyword(s):

Invasive Technique ◽

Virtual Bronchoscopy ◽

3D Ct ◽

Non Invasive

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USING DOPPLER TO ASSESS THE FETAL HEALTH FOR THE PREDICTION OF GESTATIONAL OUTCOME

Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy ◽

10.34071/jmp.2014.4_5.1 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 9-18

Author(s):

Thi Linh Giang Truong ◽

Vu Quoc Huy Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Middle Cerebral Artery ◽

Cerebral Artery ◽

Umbilical Artery ◽

Functional Method ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Routine Practice ◽

Fetal Health ◽

Uterine Arteries ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Key Words Doppler

Background: Assessment of fetal health plays the most important role in prenatal care because of influence of the prediction of gestational outcome. One of the main aims of routine antenatal care is to identify the ‘ at risk ‘ fetus in order to apply clinical interventions which could results in reduced perinatal morbidity and mortality. Doppler ultrasound is a non invasive technique whereby the movement of blood is studied by detecting the change in frequence of reflected sound, Doppler blood flow velocity waves form of fetal side (umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery ...) and maternal side ( uterine arteries) are discussed and monograms for routine practice are presented. Recently this method is important tool for qualifying high risk pregnancies and help early forecasts the health of the babies and mothers disorder. Doppler sonography in obstetrics is a widely accepted functional method of examining the prediction of gestational outcome. Key words: Doppler, umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery, uterine arteries

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Non‐invasive epigenomic molecular phenotyping of the human brain via liquid biopsy of cerebrospinal fluid and next generation sequencing

European Journal of Neuroscience ◽

10.1111/ejn.14997 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 52 (11) ◽

pp. 4536-4545

Author(s):

Lisa Pan ◽

Lora McClain ◽

Patricia Shaw ◽

Nicole Donnellan ◽

Tianjiao Chu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Next Generation Sequencing ◽

Human Brain ◽

Liquid Biopsy ◽

Next Generation ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Generation Sequencing ◽

Molecular Phenotyping

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Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers’ Clinical Utility in Diagnosis and Prognosis

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13133373 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 3373

Author(s):

Milena Matuszczak ◽

Jack A. Schalken ◽

Maciej Salagierski

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Liquid Biopsy ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Prostate Gland ◽

Specific Antigen ◽

Transrectal Ultrasound ◽

Digital Rectal Examination ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Diagnosis And Prognosis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men worldwide. The current gold standard for diagnosing PCa relies on a transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic core needle biopsy indicated after detection changes in a digital rectal examination (DRE) and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in the blood serum. PSA is a marker produced by prostate cells, not just cancer cells. Therefore, an elevated PSA level may be associated with other symptoms such as benign prostatic hyperplasia or inflammation of the prostate gland. Due to this marker’s low specificity, a common problem is overdiagnosis, which leads to unnecessary biopsies and overtreatment. This is associated with various treatment complications (such as bleeding or infection) and generates unnecessary costs. Therefore, there is no doubt that the improvement of the current procedure by applying effective, sensitive and specific markers is an urgent need. Several non-invasive, cost-effective, high-accuracy liquid biopsy diagnostic biomarkers such as Progensa PCA3, MyProstateScore ExoDx, SelectMDx, PHI, 4K, Stockholm3 and ConfirmMDx have been developed in recent years. This article compares current knowledge about them and their potential application in clinical practice.

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Liquid Biopsy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Where Are We Now?

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13092274 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 2274

Author(s):

Filippo Pelizzaro ◽

Romilda Cardin ◽

Barbara Penzo ◽

Elisa Pinto ◽

Alessandro Vitale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Liquid Biopsy ◽

Predictive Biomarkers ◽

Invasive Procedure ◽

Therapeutic Monitoring ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Improve Patient Survival ◽

Prognostic Tests ◽

Prognostic Stratification ◽

New Biomarkers

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer related death worldwide. Diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers are urgently needed in order to improve patient survival. Indeed, the most widely used biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), have limited accuracy as both diagnostic and prognostic tests. Liver biopsy provides an insight on the biology of the tumor, but it is an invasive procedure, not routinely used, and not representative of the whole neoplasia due to the demonstrated intra-tumoral heterogeneity. In recent years, liquid biopsy, defined as the molecular analysis of cancer by-products, released by the tumor in the bloodstream, emerged as an appealing source of new biomarkers. Several studies focused on evaluating extracellular vesicles, circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA and non-coding RNA as novel reliable biomarkers. In this review, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview on the most relevant available evidence on novel circulating biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognostic stratification, and therapeutic monitoring. Liquid biopsy seems to be a very promising instrument and, in the near future, some of these new non-invasive tools will probably change the clinical management of HCC patients.

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