Citation
Choudhury S, Adelaja AO, Neff HA, Miller DM, Ruiz ES, Sullivan RJ, Alani RM. Liquid biopsy in cutaneous oncology: Current practice and future directions. J Am Acad Dermatol. Published online July 30, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2026.07.005.
Overview
Liquid biopsy approaches are rapidly expanding the ways clinicians can assess tumor biology, monitor disease in real time, and detect therapeutic resistance or residual disease without relying exclusively on tissue biopsy. This review provides a practical overview of currently available circulating biomarkers and examines how these tools may be incorporated into the care of patients with aggressive cutaneous malignancies.
The article emphasizes the growing relevance of cell-free DNA and other circulating tumor-derived biomarkers across melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Liquid biopsy is moving from an emerging technology toward a clinically actionable component of cutaneous oncology, with potential roles in tumor monitoring, treatment selection, response assessment, resistance detection, and early identification of relapse.
Topics highlighted
- Circulating tumor DNA and plasma cell-free DNA assays
- Noninvasive tumor monitoring and detection of residual disease
- Prediction of treatment response and therapeutic resistance
- Companion diagnostics and molecularly guided therapy
- Applications across melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, CSCC, BCC, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
- Future integration of circulating biomarkers into clinical practice
Authors
Sabah Choudhury, Adewunmi O. Adelaja, Haley Ann Neff, David M. Miller, Emily S. Ruiz, Ryan J. Sullivan, and Rhoda M. Alani.