Conclusion
Comparing to conventional tissue biopsy that
excises diseased tissue from the
patient’s body, liquid biopsy with the advantages of minimal
invasiveness can be used to rapid and real-time diagnosis of cancers, as
well as the longitudinal monitoring along tumor dynamic changes, and
thus many liquid biopsy-based instruments emerged. However, existing
liquid biopsy instruments suffer many limitations, such as insufficient
accuracy and sensitivity, inadequate automation, poor commercialization,
etc., thus existing instrument still cannot be an alternative to tissue
biopsy. The ideal LB instrument either allows precise, reliable, rapid,
and comprehensive cancer detection in the laboratory or can be used as a
portable real-time monitoring tool in a health resource-limited place.
With the improvement of highly sensitive techniques for precision
medicine, next-generation LB instruments are promising tools for early
diagnosis, real-time monitoring, prognosis, and prediction of response
to treatment for various cancer types. We hope that the future LB
instrument will become an optimal and reliable technology upon which we
can all rely.