Utility of a bridged nucleic acid clamp for liquid biopsy: Detecting BRAF V600E in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with brain tumor

Liquid biopsy guides successful molecular targeted therapy of an inoperable pediatric brainstem neoplasm

Midline CNS tumors are occasionally inaccessible for surgical biopsies. In these instances, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) may serve as a viable alternative for molecular analysis and identification of targetable mutations. Here, we report a young child with an inoperable brainstem tumor in whom a stereotactic biopsy was deemed unsafe. The tumor progressed on steroids and after radiotherapy the patient developed hydrocephalus and received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Droplet digital PCR analysis of cfDNA from an intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsy revealed a BRAF V600 mutation enabling targeted treatment with MEK and BRAF inhibitors. The patient, now on trametinib and dabrafenib for 1 year, has had substantial tumor volume regression and reduction of contrast enhancement on MRIs and is making remarkable clinical progress. This case highlights that in a subset of CNS tumors, access to liquid biopsy analysis may be crucial to identify actionable therapeutic targets that would otherwise go undiscovered.

Recent Advances in Liquid Biopsy of Brain Cancers

Brain cancers are among the top causes of death worldwide. Although, the survival rates vary widely depending on the type of the tumor, early diagnosis could generally benefit in better prognosis outcomes of the brain cancer patients. Conventionally, neuroimaging and biopsy are the most widely used approaches in diagnosis, subtyping, and prognosis monitoring of brain cancers, while emerging liquid biopsy assays using peripheral blood or cerebrospinal fluid have demonstrated many favorable characteristics in this task, especially due to their minimally invasive and easiness in sampling nature. Here, we review the recent studies in the liquid biopsy of brain cancers. We discuss the methodologies and performances of various assays on diagnosis, tumor subtyping, relapse prediction as well as prognosis monitoring in brain cancers, which approaches have made a big step toward clinical benefits of brain cancer patients.

Liquid Biomarkers for Pediatric Brain Tumors: Biological Features, Advantages and Perspectives

Tumors of the central nervous system are the most frequent solid tumor type and the major cause for cancer-related mortality in children and adolescents. These tumors are biologically highly heterogeneous and comprise various different entities. Molecular diagnostics are already well-established for pediatric brain tumors and have facilitated a more accurate patient stratification. The availability of targeted, biomarker-driven therapies has increased the necessity of longitudinal monitoring of molecular alterations within tumors for precision medicine-guided therapy. Nevertheless, diagnosis is still primarily based on analyses of the primary tumor and follow-up is usually performed by imaging techniques which lack important information on tumor biology possibly changing the course of the disease. To overcome this shortage of longitudinal information, liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool representing a less-invasive source of biomarkers for tumor monitoring and therapeutic decision making. Novel ultrasensitive methods for detection of allele variants, genetic alterations with low abundance, have been developed and are promising tools for establishing and integrating liquid biopsy techniques into clinical routine. Pediatric brain tumors harbor multiple molecular alterations with the potential to be used as liquid biomarkers. Consequently, studies have already investigated different types of biomarker in diverse entities of pediatric brain tumors. However, there are still certain pitfalls until liquid biomarkers can be unleashed and implemented into routine clinical care. Within this review, we summarize current knowledge on liquid biopsy markers and technologies in pediatric brain tumors, their advantages and drawbacks, as well as future potential biomarkers and perspectives with respect to clinical implementation in patient care.