Diagnosis and monitoring of virus-associated cancer using cell-free DNA

Curr Opin Virol. 2023 Jun:60:101331. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2023.101331. Epub 2023 May 13.

Abstract

Viral-associated cancers are a distinct group of malignancies with a unique pathogenesis and epidemiology. Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive way to identify tumor-associated abnormalities in blood derivatives, such as plasma, to guide the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients with cancer. Liquid biopsy encompasses a multitude of circulating analytes with the most extensively studied being cell-free DNA (cfDNA). In recent decades, substantial advances have been made toward the study of circulating tumor DNA in nonviral-associated cancers. Many of these observations have been translated to the clinic to improve the outcomes of patients with cancer. The study of cfDNA in viral-associated cancers is rapidly evolving and reveals tremendous potential for clinical applications. This review provides an overview of the pathogenesis of viral-associated malignancies, the current state of cfDNA analysis in oncology, the current state of cfDNA analysis in viral-associated cancers, and perspectives for the future of liquid biopsies in viral-associated cancers.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
  • Cell-Free Nucleic Acids* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Liquid Biopsy
  • Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Prognosis

Substances

  • Cell-Free Nucleic Acids
  • Biomarkers, Tumor