Liquid Biopsy for Medical Imaging Analysis in Cancer Diagnosis.

Abstract

The detection of cancer remains a significant challenge due to limitations of current screening approaches, where usually several procedures and imprecise information are required. Liquid biopsy has emerged as an appealing method that makes it unnecessary to use invasive procedures. It depicts the biology of tumors at first sight based on circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and exosomes in the blood of the patient. This paper provides a review of the likelihood of the integration of liquid biopsy with medical imaging methods, such as MRI, CT, PET, and ultrasound, to enhance the accuracy of tumor identification. We expand on how liquid biopsy might improve healthcare imaging by defining tumor characterization more accurately and precisely, avoiding false positive and negative values, and providing genetic integration information that is often useful when interpreting imaging scans. Case examples are employed to demonstrate the seamless combination of liquid biopsy data with imaging outcomes, which can help expand the understanding of cancer pathophysiology and treatment sensitivity. However, artificial intelligence and machine learning should be used to support the execution of this supposed synergistically integrated strategy. The article also explains the problems concerning the integration of these two diagnostic methods and stresses the importance of standardizing the procedures and cooperation between the disciplines. This aggregation could result in earlier detection, improved monitoring, as well as individual approaches to cancer patients, hence leading to a significant increase in positive clinical outcomes.