Liquid biopsy in detecting early non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer screening programs, particularly in the UK, have shown a decrease in lung cancer-related deaths among individuals who underwent low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening. Researchers are now focusing on evaluating cell-free DNA through various methods to determine if pre-diagnostic mutations can be detected years before clinical diagnosis. This could help identify individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer. However, while this approach has successfully identified precursors of follicular lymphoma, the presence of occult lung preneoplasia in non-small-cell lung cancer still requires further investigation. The TRACERx consortium is conducting extensive research to comprehensively assess the detection and progression of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Liquid biopsy is being used in advanced stages of the disease to monitor disease progression, predict treatment response, and identify targetable driver oncogenic mutations and fusion genes. Intense research is also underway to identify numerous diagnostic gene signatures with high accuracy for early-stage lung cancer. However, a more focused clinical approach is needed, with a mechanistic focus on the key pathways of cancer development. Loss of liver kinase B1 (