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Tumor signatures in the blood

Nature Biotechnology volume 32, pages 441–443 (2014)Cite this article

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The goal of characterizing solid-tumor genomes with nothing more than a blood sample is now within reach.

Thanks to large-scale cancer genome sequencing projects, we now possess catalogs of genetic alterations that are present in a variety of human tumor types5. What we lack, however, are minimally invasive methods to monitor the presence of these genetic alterations in cancer patients. Serial biopsies of metastatic lesions are typically not practical because the metastatic tissue is often inaccessible or reachable only by invasive procedures. Moreover, different metastases in a single patient may harbor different genetic alterations6, and the purity and yield of biopsy samples are usually low.

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Figure 1: Minimally invasive approaches to monitor tumor genome evolution.

Marina Corral Spence/Nature Publishing Group

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michael R. Speicher is at the Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria,

    Michael R Speicher

  2. Klaus Pantel is at the Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,

    Klaus Pantel

Authors
  1. Michael R Speicher
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  2. Klaus Pantel
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Correspondence to Michael R Speicher or Klaus Pantel.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Speicher, M., Pantel, K. Tumor signatures in the blood. Nat Biotechnol 32, 441–443 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.2897

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