Opportunities and challenges of liquid biopsy in liver cancer

Liver cancer is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Due to late diagnosis and difficulty in monitoring, there is a pressing need for early detection and recurrence monitoring in patients with liver cancer. Recent advancements in liquid biopsy technology, like circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes, have made it possible to obtain a tumor’s characteristics and dynamic monitor easily. This, in turn, helps in identifying a personalized therapy for individual patients. However, the application progress of liquid biopsy techniques in liver cancer lag behind due to various challenges in clinical practice. In this review, we aim to provide insights into the development of liquid biopsy technology in liver cancer, highlighting its clinical significance in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response prediction. We hope to focus on the key opportunities and challenges associated with these biomarkers and inspire a potential direction for future research.