Introduction: Liquid biopsy is an increasingly studied approach for optimal and minimally invasive diagnostics of malignant tumors. The aim of this review is to provide evidence and discuss the utility of liquid biopsy in the management of germ cell tumors (GCTs).Areas covered: Herein, we summarize the evidence on liquid biopsy in GCTs including serum tumor markers, circulating tumor cells, microRNA and cell-free DNA. The search of literature was conducted from Pubmed/Medline, ASCO-meeting library searching for terms 'liquid biopsy', 'germ cell tumors', 'circulating tumor cells', 'microRNA', 'cell-free DNA'. Obtained original studies were included. Reference lists of review articles and key original articles were searched for additional original studies. We included articles published between1990 and 2019.Expert opinion: Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive tool using body fluids for diagnostic purposes in cancer. The established value of serum tumor markers may be already considered a liquid biopsy technique in diagnosis of GCTs. Possible near-future refinements in diagnosis of GCTs are emerging. Further information on diagnosis, prognosis and resistance is added with recently described microRNAs, circulating tumor cells and cell-free DNA. While great promise is shown, further large-scale validation is needed to incorporate these novel liquid biopsies into clinical practice.

中文翻译：

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生殖细胞肿瘤中的液体活检：生物学和临床管理。

简介：液体活检是一种越来越多的研究方法，用于恶性肿瘤的最佳和微创诊断。本综述的目的是提供证据并讨论液体活检在生殖细胞肿瘤 (GCT) 治疗中的效用。 涵盖的领域：在此，我们总结了 GCT 中液体活检的证据，包括血清肿瘤标志物、循环肿瘤细胞、 microRNA 和无细胞 DNA。文献检索是从 Pubmed/Medline、ASCO 会议图书馆检索术语“液体活检”、“生殖细胞肿瘤”、“循环肿瘤细胞”、“microRNA”、“无细胞 DNA”。获得的原始研究被包括在内。检索了综述文章和关键原创文章的参考列表，以获取其他原创研究。我们纳入了 1990 年至 2019 年间发表的文章。专家意见：液体活检是一种利用体液进行癌症诊断的微创工具。血清肿瘤标志物的既定价值可能已经被认为是诊断 GCT 的液体活检技术。GCT 诊断的可能近期改进正在出现。最近描述的微小RNA、循环肿瘤细胞和无细胞DNA添加了有关诊断、预后和耐药性的更多信息。虽然显示出巨大的希望，但需要进一步大规模验证将这些新型液体活检纳入临床实践。GCT 诊断的可能近期改进正在出现。最近描述的微小RNA、循环肿瘤细胞和无细胞DNA添加了有关诊断、预后和耐药性的更多信息。虽然显示出巨大的希望，但需要进一步大规模验证将这些新型液体活检纳入临床实践。GCT 诊断的可能近期改进正在出现。最近描述的微小RNA、循环肿瘤细胞和无细胞DNA添加了有关诊断、预后和耐药性的更多信息。虽然显示出巨大的希望，但需要进一步大规模验证将这些新型液体活检纳入临床实践。