In this review:
As we continue our review of guidelines relevant to precision medicine, this issue focusses on the use of ctDNA. In its first iteration, ctDNA provided the concept of a ‘liquid biopsy’, with the possibility of sparing patients an invasive biopsy and potential associated complications in favour of a simple blood test. As concepts go, it is perhaps one of the more attractive, especially for patients with disease not amenable to biopsy by the usual means. However, for many patients, detecting ctDNA can be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, despite much refinement of protocols and technological advances.
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