Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41720942›Full record

ReviewNature reviews. Clinical oncology2026

Evolving roles of liquid biopsy in precision medicine for colorectal cancer: from single-gene analysis to broad genomic profiling.

Giulia Martini, Stefania Napolitano, Davide Ciardiello, Luca Boscolo Bielo, Erika Martinelli, Teresa Troiani, Maria Giulia Zampino, Nicola Fazio, Giuseppe Curigliano, Fortunato Ciardiello

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Nature reviews. Clinical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Giulia MartiniDivision of Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4093-2681
Stefania NapolitanoDivision of Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
Davide CiardielloDivision of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumors, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Luca Boscolo BieloDivision of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Erika MartinelliDivision of Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
Teresa TroianiDivision of Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
Maria Giulia ZampinoDivision of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumors, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Nicola FazioDivision of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumors, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Giuseppe CuriglianoDivision of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1781-2518
Fortunato CiardielloDivision of Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy. fortunato.ciardiello@unicampania.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4661-5540

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous malignancy, with various alterations in molecular signalling pathways driving disease progression and resistance to therapy. Liquid biopsy, as a source of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), has been utilized to characterize tumour molecular heterogeneity, facilitating the identification of actionable targets for precision medicine-guided therapies and the detection of emerging genomic drivers of drug resistance in patients with metastatic CRC. In addition, liquid biopsy-based analysis of ctDNA has been validated as a tool for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) following locoregional treatment in patients with localized colon or rectal cancer, offering improved prognostic stratification and supporting the tailoring of adjuvant systemic therapy. Methodological evolution from PCR analysis of a few known mutations in one gene or a small panel of genes to the assessment of hundreds of genes and pathogenic variants by next-generation sequencing has enabled comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP), thereby improving knowledge of cancer molecular complexity at the individual patient level. In this respect, liquid biopsy-based CGP is an easily repeatable and minimally invasive approach that can provide a dynamic portrait of CRC molecular heterogeneity to guide personalized and adaptive treatment based on biomarkers of response and resistance. In this Review, we discuss current and potential roles of liquid biopsy-based ctDNA analysis in the clinical management of metastatic CRC. We also discuss the evidence supporting implementation of liquid biopsy-based assessment of MRD to refine the management of locoregional CRC and potentially improve cure rates while reducing overtreatment of many patients.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorCirculating Tumor DNAColorectal NeoplasmsPrecision MedicineGene Expression ProfilingGenomicsHumansLiquid BiopsyPrognosisBiomarkers, TumorCirculating Tumor DNA

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.