Role of liquid biopsy in cancer prevention and treatment process – review paper

Liquid biopsy is an insufficiently studied diagnostic method that detects cancer cells and other cancer biomarkers.It is a method that can be invasive, minimally invasive, or non-invasive and uses biological fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, stool, semen, breast milk, or vaginal discharge, but usually blood.Its particular advantage is the ability to detect cancer at a very early stage.Detecting cancer at a lower stage increases the patient's chances of complete recovery, reducing the risk of complications and the overall cost of therapy.In addition to detecting cancer, a liquid biopsy can assess the effectiveness of anticancer therapy and detect minimal residual disease after treatment.After the method was introduced in 2010, the concept was widely developed, giving many opportunities for the future in oncology.Adhering to proper standardization protocols provides the chance to establish a universal screening test in the future.At the moment, a combination of both methods should be considered, as they can complement each other to provide the best outcome for patients.