Dr. D’Amato on the Limitations of Liquid Biopsy in Sarcoma

Gina Z. D'Amato, MD, associate professor and assistant director of Clinical Research, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, discusses the limitations of liquid biopsy in sarcoma.

In August 2020, the FDA approved the Guardant360^® CDx liquid biopsy for comprehensive genomic profiling in patients with any solid malignant cancer.

In the sarcoma space, liquid biopsy is promising, D’Amato says. Prior to the approval, the Guardant360 CDx assay was utilized in sarcoma, mainly for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Additionally, the test was used in patients who had disease progression where tissue was unavailable for testing, explains D’Amato.

Liquid biopsy may have a higher accuracy rate compared with tissue biopsy, D’Amato explains. However, until the technology improves, liquid biopsy will not be used in the adjuvant setting. Currently, patients have to have high tumor burden in order for an alteration to be detected.

Ongoing research regarding circulating tumor DNA could provide a way to improve the accuracy of liquid biopsy tests among patients with low tumor burden or those without radiographic evidence of disease, concludes D’Amato.