Varkey Joyce, Nicolaides Theodore
Pediatric Hematology Oncology, New York University Langone, New York, USA.
Cureus. 2021 Nov 1;13(11):e19189. doi: 10.7759/cureus.19189. eCollection 2021 Nov.
In this current era of precision medicine, liquid biopsy poses a unique opportunity for an easily accessible, comprehensive molecular profile that would allow for the identification of therapeutic targets and sequential monitoring. Solid tumors are definitively diagnosed by analyzing primary tumor tissue, but surgical sampling is not always sufficient to generate a comprehensive genetic fingerprint at the time of diagnosis, or an appropriate means for continued monitoring. Platelets are known to have a dynamic, bidirectional relationship with tumors, acting beyond their role of hemostasis. Tumor-educated platelets (TEP) are modified by the tumor in multiple ways and act as a carrier and protector of metastasis. Data so far have shown that the mRNA in TEP can be harnessed for cancer diagnostics, with many potential applications.
在当今精准医学时代，液体活检为获取易于实现的全面分子图谱提供了独特契机，这有助于识别治疗靶点并进行连续监测。实体瘤通过分析原发肿瘤组织得以明确诊断，但手术取样在诊断时并不总能提供全面的基因特征，也并非持续监测的合适手段。已知血小板与肿瘤存在动态双向关系，其作用不止于止血。肿瘤驯化血小板（TEP）在多个方面被肿瘤修饰，并充当转移的载体和保护者。目前的数据表明，TEP中的mRNA可用于癌症诊断，具有诸多潜在应用。
