Recent data have shown a continued rise in the worldwide annual incidence and mortality rates of head and neck cancers. The present standard for diagnosis and monitoring for disease recurrence or progression involves clinical examination, imaging, and invasive biopsy techniques of lesions suspected of being malignant. In addition to limitations relating to cost, time, and patient discomfort, these methodologies have inherent inaccuracies for detecting recurrence. In view of these limitations, the analysis of patient bodily fluid samples via liquid biopsy proposes a cost-effective and convenient alternative, which provides insight on the biogenetic and biomolecular underpinnings of oncologic disease processes. The monitoring of biomarkers for head and neck cancer via liquid biopsy, including circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor cells, and circulating cell-free RNA, has shown clinical utility in the screening, diagnosis, prognostication, and monitoring of patients with various forms of head and neck cancer. The present review will provide an update on the current literature examining the use of liquid biopsy in head and neck cancer care and the clinical applicability of potential biomarkers, with a focus on viral and non-viral circulating tumor DNA. Possible future avenues for research to address specific shortcomings of liquid biopsy will be discussed.
最新数据显示，全球头颈癌年发病率和死亡率持续攀升。目前诊断及监测疾病复发或进展的标准方法包括临床检查、影像学检查以及对疑似恶性病变进行侵入性活检。这些方法除了存在成本高、耗时长及患者不适等局限性外，在检测复发方面还存在固有的不准确性。鉴于这些局限性，通过液体活检分析患者体液样本提供了一种经济高效且便捷的替代方案，能够深入揭示肿瘤疾病过程的生物遗传和生物分子基础。通过液体活检监测头颈癌生物标志物（包括循环肿瘤DNA、循环肿瘤细胞和循环游离RNA）已在多种头颈癌患者的筛查、诊断、预后评估和监测中显示出临床应用价值。本综述将基于最新文献，重点围绕病毒性和非病毒性循环肿瘤DNA，更新液体活检在头颈癌诊疗中的应用现状及潜在生物标志物的临床适用性，并探讨未来可能的研究方向以解决液体活检的特定缺陷。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家