Liquid biopsy: A new avenue in pathology

Abstract

Liquid biopsy is a relatively new entity. This non-invasive technique provides real-time information about a tumour. The liquid biopsy contains circulating tumour cells, cell-free DNA and exosomes. The main indications for liquid biopsy include early diagnosis, screening, detection of minimal residual disease, designing personalised treatment and predicting biological behaviour of the tumour. In this review, we discuss various aspects of liquid biopsy and compare it with conventional biopsy.