Liquid biopsies (LB) are emerging in the oncology field, with promising data as new diagnostic, prognostic and treatment-monitoring tools. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is a heterogenous disease and many challenges remain to improve patient outcomes. Liquid biopsy could be of interest at different stages of SCCHN disease, including better screening to diagnose more patients at an early stage, early detection of relapse after curative treatment, and the implementation of precision medicine. As LB is very attractive by the ease of sampling, this field is moving fast. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the potential applications but also the limitations of these new tools in regards to technical aspects and interpretation of the data. In this review, we will first give an overview of potential clinical applications and technical challenges of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and then focus on current available data of ctDNA in SCCHN. Although the literature on ctDNA analysis for SCCHN is scarce compared to other tumors, preliminary results seem to hold promise for the future, including the detection of minimal residual disease or the detection of potentially targetable events through liquid biopsy. Prospective liquid-biopsy driven clinical trials are needed to validate its clinical relevance.

中文翻译：

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头颈部鳞状细胞癌（SCCHN）中循环肿瘤DNA（ctDNA）的当前应用和挑战。

液体活检（LB）正在肿瘤学领域兴起，其有希望的数据将作为新的诊断，预后和治疗监测工具。头颈部鳞状细胞癌（SCCHN）是一种异质性疾病，改善患者预后仍面临许多挑战。在SCCHN疾病的不同阶段，液体活检可能会引起人们的兴趣，包括更好的筛查以早期诊断更多的患者，早期发现治愈性治疗后的复发以及实施精准医学。由于LB易于采样，因此非常吸引人，因此该领域发展迅速。因此，重要的是要意识到潜在的应用，而且要注意这些新工具在技术方面和数据解释方面的局限性。在这篇评论中 我们将首先概述循环肿瘤DNA（ctDNA）的潜在临床应用和技术挑战，然后重点介绍SCCHN中ctDNA的当前可用数据。尽管与其他肿瘤相比，有关SCCHN的ctDNA分析的文献很少，但初步结果似乎对未来充满希望，包括通过液体活检检测最小残留疾病或检测可能靶向的事件。需要前瞻性的液体活检驱动的临床试验，以验证其临床相关性。包括最小残留疾病的检测或通过液体活检的潜在可靶向事件的检测。需要前瞻性的液体活检驱动的临床试验，以验证其临床相关性。包括最小残留疾病的检测或通过液体活检的潜在可靶向事件的检测。需要前瞻性的液体活检驱动的临床试验，以验证其临床相关性。