Narrative review.This article aims to provide a narrative review of the current state
of research for liquid biopsy in spinal tumors and to discuss the potential application
of liquid biopsy in the clinical management of patients with spinal tumors.A comprehensive
review of the literature was performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, Embase
and Cochrane databases, and the review was limited to articles of English language.
All the relevant articles which were identified to be related to liquid biomarker
study in spinal tumors, were studied in full text.Liquid biopsy has revolutionized
the field of precision medicine by guiding personalized clinical management of cancer
patients based on the liquid biomarker status. In recent years, more research has
been done to investigate its potential utilization in patients with tumors from the
spine. Herein, we review the liquid biomarkers that have been proposed in different
spine malignancies including chordoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma,
astrocytoma and ependymoma. We also discuss the wide window of opportunity to utilize
these liquid biomarkers in diagnosis, treatment response, monitoring, and detection
of minimal residual disease in patients with spinal tumors.Liquid biomarkers, especially
blood-derived circulating tumor DNA, has a promising clinical utility as they are
disease-specific, minimally invasive, and the procedure is repeatable. Prospective
studies with larger populations are needed to fully establish its use in the setting
of spinal tumors.
