Potential Management of Circulating Tumor DNA as a Biomarker in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

As a specific subtype of breast cancer, Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with worse prognosis and higher tumor aggressiveness than HER2-amplified or hormone receptor positive breast cancers. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), as a non-invasive “liquid biopsy”, is an emerging original blood-based biomarker for early breast cancer diagnosis, monitoring treatment response, and determining prognosis. In TNBC patients, ctDNA has an inherent tendency to characterize tumor heterogeneity and metastasis-specific mutations providing a key alternative to tumor tissue profiling. Several studies have already demonstrated the potential of ctDNA in TNBC patients from early to advanced stages of the disease including diagnosis, therapy decisions and assessment of prognosis. This review provides a critical brief summary of the evidence that gives credence to the utility of ctDNA as a biomarker for its role into clinical management in TNBC.

Comparison of PICC and TIVAP in chemotherapy for patients with thyroid cancer

“…TIVAP causes infection and even endangers lives even though the risk of infection is low. Pocket or subcutaneous tunnel infection is probably caused by TIVAP that should be removed immediately ( 21 ). PICC ( 22 , 23 ) and TIVAP ( 24 , 25 ) provide effective deep venous accesses for patients with tumors, but they have their own advantages and disadvantages.…”

Practical classification of triple-negative breast cancer: intratumoral heterogeneity, mechanisms of drug resistance, and novel therapies

“…Lastly, histopathological and genomic characterization of tumor biopsy specimens can present several limitations, including a limited representativeness of the entire tumor mutational repertoire and its heterogeneity, technical issues in tissue processing and mutation detection, and low feasibility in some clinical circumstances 41 . Accordingly, some tools, referred to as "liquid biopsies", have been implemented to identify and quantify tumor fractions released into the peripheral blood, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) 42 .…”

In silico analyses identify lncRNAs: WDFY3-AS2, BDNF-AS and AFAP1-AS1 as potential prognostic factors for patients with triple-negative breast tumors

“…TNBC can be classified into at least six distinct subtypes with differences in clinical behavior and treatment response [7,8]. TNBC subtype comprises between 15 and 20% of all breast tumors and is generally considered to have a poorer prognosis as patients do not respond to endocrine therapy and target-directed therapies [9,10]. TNBCs are commonly observed in younger and obese women, being more prevalent in premenopausal African American women [11].…”