What is a fluid or liquid biopsy for pancreatic cancer?
A liquid biopsy is a test done on a blood sample to look for cancer cells from a tumour circulating in the blood or for pieces of DNA from tumour cells in the blood. A liquid biopsy may be used to help find cancer at an early stage. It may also allow plan treatment or determine how well treatment is working or if cancer has come back. Taking multiple blood samples over time may also help doctors understand what kind of molecular changes are taking place in a tumour. Liquid biopsies are of particular relevance in clinical settings because of their minimal invasiveness, repeated sampling, and comprehensive depiction of full or multi-site tumour bulks compared to tissue samples. Many studies have established the possibility of liquid biopsies in pancreatic cancer, demonstrating that liquid biopsies can detect early emergency of pancreatic cancer cells, residual illness, and recurrence. (Sources: marycrowley.org , wstnn.com)
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