Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and despite considerable advances in therapeutic strategies, the absence of reliable, minimally invasive diagnostic tools continues to limit early detection and real-time disease monitoring. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a transformative paradigm in oncology, offering the capacity to integrate tumor biology through the analysis of tumor-derived materials that circulate in peripheral blood and other biofluids. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the key analytes employed in liquid biopsy, including circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), microRNAs (miRNAs), extracellular vesicles (EVs), and protein biomarkers with particular emphasis on their translational relevance in breast cancer. Drawing on landmark clinical trials and foundational molecular studies, we highlight how these biomarkers capture spatial and temporal tumor heterogeneity in ways that conventional tissue biopsy cannot. Finally, we address the technical, clinical, and ethical challenges that still impede widespread adoption of liquid biopsy, and we outline a forward-looking research agenda oriented toward multi-omics integration and point-of-care diagnostics. Taken together, this review underscores the potential of liquid biopsy to complement existing diagnostic standards and improve how we screen for, monitor, and treat breast cancer across disease stages.
Pritam Saha Podder, Debasree Bhadra, Canio Martinelli et al.· Exploration of Targeted Anti...· 0 citations
Early detection of many diseases remains difficult because they often develop silently over the course of years. Circular RNAs are now at the forefront as biomarker candidates with a covalently closed structure, making them highly stable with exonuclease resistance and long half-lives. With their disease-specific expression pattern and their presence in biofluids, they offer easier and noninvasive monitoring of molecular signatures. Conventional detection techniques require centralized laboratories, sophisticated instrumentation, and specialized personnel, which restrict their widespread clinical adoption and limit their applicability in point-of-care diagnostic settings, but recent advances in biosensor technologies enable rapid, sensitive, and highly specific circRNA detection in biological matrices without complex equipment. Integration with nanomaterials, enzymatic amplification, and microfluidic or portable devices further enhances the specificity, signal strength, and clinical applicability. This Tutorial critically evaluates these emerging biosensing strategies, discusses current challenges, and provides practical guidelines for selecting circRNA biomarkers and corresponding detection methods. By bridging circRNA biology with advanced biosensor design, this work aims to accelerate translational research and guide the development of next-generation diagnostics for early disease detection, supporting a shift from reactive treatment to proactive health care.
A. Glovi, P. Kalligosfyri, A. Miglione et al.· Analytical Chemistry· 0 citations
