Dr. Gadgeel on the Utility of Liquid Biopsies in Lung Cancer

Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD, MBBS, Mary Lou Kennedy Research Professor in Thoracic Oncology, professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, co-leader, Thoracic Oncology Research Program, and associate director, Networking and Affiliated Centers, University of Michigan Medicine, discusses the utility of liquid biopsies in lung cancer.

A sufficient amount of tumor tissue is needed to perform a tissue biopsy, says Gadgeel. However, tissue biopsies are often performed at the time of diagnosis, leaving an inadequate amount of tissue to biopsy for targeted therapy. Additionally, even if there is enough tissue to sample, patients may have too many comorbidities to safely undergo a tissue biopsy.

Liquid biopsies can be used as an alternative method to provide information on the molecular makeup of the tumor, says Gadgeel. In doing so, the field is able to broaden the utility of molecular profiling and therein the potential therapeutic benefit of targeted treatments.