[Breakthrough Technologies: Liquid Biopsy -Chairmen's Introductory Remarks.].

To date, liquid biopsies have generated much interest as they involve minimally invasive blood tests, pro- vide an ongoing picture of a patient's cancer, and offer valuable insight into the best treatment. Liquid biop- sies detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs), fragments of tumor DNA and exosomes that are shed into the blood from the primary tumor and from metastatic sites. Liquid biopsies offer what tissue biopsies cannot due to risks to the patients and costs. Liquid biopsies allow the monitoring of genomic changes in tumors for the diagnosis of early and recurrent cancer and drug effects. In the future, instead of extensive imaging and invasive tissue biopsies, liquid biopsies could be used to guide cancer treatment decisions and even screen for tumors that are not vet visible on imaging.