Translational Utility of Liquid Biopsies in Thyroid Cancer Management

Abstract

Simple Summary Thyroid cancer remains a challenging malignancy, and it is difficultt to scale appropriate monitoring and therapy. Monitoring of the outcomes of thyroid cancer treatment currently relies on invasive tissue biopsies or repeat imaging involving radiation exposure. Liquid biopsies are a novel technique, which assess for common mutations associated with cancer through a simple blood sample. This review will assess the utility of liquid biopsies in the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer and outline future directions which may optimise patient outcomes. Abstract Liquid biopsies are a novel technique to assess for either circulating tumor cells (CTC) or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA and microRNA (miRNA)) in peripheral blood samples of cancer patients. The diagnostic role of liquid biopsy in oncology has expanded in recent years, particularly in lung, colorectal and breast cancer. In thyroid cancer, the role of liquid biopsy in either diagnosis or prognosis is beginning to translate from the lab to the clinic. In this review, we describe the evolution of liquid biopsies in detecting CTC, ctDNA and miRNA in thyroid cancer patients, together with its limitations and future directions in clinical practice.