What is liquid biopsy? Why circulating tumor cells hold so much promise in treatment of stage 4 colorectal cancer? Circulating cell-free tumor DNA and RNA in monitoring progress of colon cancer treatment.

Liquid biopsy of colon cancer guides cancer treatment in real time. Liquid biopsy tests patient's peripheral blood for circulating tumor cells and circulating cancer DNA and RNA. Leading German-American colorectal cancer oncologist discusses “liquid biopsy”. It is used in metastatic colon cancer diagnostics and treatment monitoring in real time. Circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA can be analyzed in liquid biopsy of colorectal cancer tumor. Liquid biopsy is painless and avoids potential complications from metastatic tumor biopsy. Analysis of tumor circulating cells in liquid biopsy allows to follow genetic mutation changes during chemotherapy treatment. Liquid biopsy helps precision medicine treatment of colon cancer patient. Advanced stage 4 colon cancer treatment by targeted chemotherapy. Medical second opinion confirms colorectal cancer diagnosis at genetic level. Medical second opinion also confirms colon cancer cure is possible in metastatic colon cancer. Best precision medicine treatment for advanced stage 4 colon cancer with metastatic lesions. Medical second opinion helps to select a personalized medicine targeted treatment for stage 4 colorectal cancer with liver or lung metastases. Get medical second opinion on advanced colorectal cancer. Be confident that your precision medicine treatment is the best. Best colorectal cancer treatment. Video interview with leading expert in metastatic colorectal cancer treatment from California. Liquid biopsy for colon cancer tumor. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Colon cancer and rectal cancer require precise diagnosis. But biopsy of the metastatic colon cancer tumor is an invasive procedure. Biopsy carries risks for colon cancer patient. There is a new term called "liquid biopsy". Liquid biopsy method is generating a lot of excitement among clinicians and scientists. What is liquid biopsy for colon cancer? Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD (Colorectal Cancer Expert, California). I think liquid biopsy gives us the opportunity to utilize a normal blood sample. Blood can be drawn from the colon cancer patient. We can isolate circulating DNA from the colon cancer tumor from this blood sample. We can also isolate circulating colon cancer tumor cells. It is very important to distinguish between circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA. Because we can do all the DNA profiling of tumor cells that survived. We can use the circulating cell-free DNA. Colon cancer tumor cells that survive the treatment release their DNA into the blood. We can see what has changed over time in colon cancer tumor under evolutionary pressure from cancer treatment. It is a great new tool for precision medicine colon cancer treatment. Recent trials have confirmed that we can detect the genetic tumor changes in the blood sample. They are the same changes that we would detect if we would biopsy the tumor. This is liquid biopsy in colon cancer patient. Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD (Colorectal Cancer Expert, California). I think liquid biopsy is a really reliable new technology. Liquid tumor biopsy will be utilized in the future around the world. I have no doubt. What is the difference between circulating DNA and the circulating colon cancer tumor cells? The circulating colon cancer tumor cells are alive. On alive cells, you can test DNA and you can test RNA of colon cancer tumor. Gene expressions in colon cancer tumor cells is potentially more dynamic. Gene expression in tumor cells reflects changes during the treatment of the colon cancer patient. We can combine two cancer genetic information sources in liquid biopsy. We can do tumor DNA mutation analysis on circulating colon cancer tumor DNA. We can do this while the patient is being treated. We can also study gene expression and RNA levels on circulating alive tumor cells. This information from colon cancer liquid biopsy will be extremely helpful in the future. It will help us to understand how colon cancer tumor escapes the treatment. These tumor treatment escape mechanisms may dictate the subsequent choice therapy. It will be most effective next treatment of colon cancer. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Liquid biopsy is a testing of the peripheral blood of patients. It does not require invasive biopsy of metastatic tumor? Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD (Colorectal Cancer Expert, California).That's correct, that's correct. We have developed new tumor liquid biopsy technology here at USC/. we did it together with a company called Liquid Genomics. For the first time, we can identify circulating RNAs in colon cancer patient's peripheral blood. This is unbelievable achievement. It is very important for new medication development. Because a DNA genetic mutation doesn't happen very quickly overnight. DNA mutations in tumors happen over time. But the effect of a new medication on RNA levels is immediate. You can see if your tumor medication works. You can see if the medication's target in tumor is really hit. RNA liquid biopsy method will be very critical for new medication development in colon cancer. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. The circulating RNA of the tumor gives a very important temporal profile of the tumor. Is it possible to detect circulating tumor RNA in peripheral blood of cancer patients? Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD (Colorectal Cancer Expert, California). That's correct. It is possible to detect circulating tumor RNA in peripheral blood of cancer patients. Many people thought it was not possible. Because RNA should be degraded outside the cells. But we have now shown it is possible to detect circulating tumor RNA in peripheral blood. We will present our data in Vienna at ESMO meeting. I think liquid biopsy of tumor is a very unique tool. We will have very unique opportunities to monitor the treatment of colon cancer patient in real time on a molecular level. We will detect DNA and RNA of cancer cells in peripheral blood of the patient. Liquid biopsy of colon cancer is sampling of tumor cells. Cancer DNA and RNA exists in peripheral blood. Liquid biopsy is painless and increasingly effective tool to monitor cancer treatment.