Standardizing CNS Lymphoma Biomarker Analysis

The effectiveness of liquid biopsies is extensively documented in various brain cancers, including metastatic lesions and gliomas.

Lakshmi Nayak and her team aimed to highlight the well-documented effectiveness of liquid biopsies in both extracranial and intracranial tumors, including brain metastases and gliomas.

The RANO (Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology) group has established a multidisciplinary Task Force to thoroughly examine the significance of blood and CSF-liquid biopsy in central nervous system lymphomas, primarily focusing on primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL).

Various clinical applications were proposed, including diagnosing PCNSL in challenging scenarios (such as elderly or frail patients, deep locations, or steroid responsiveness), defining minimal residual disease, early detection of tumor response or relapse after treatments, and predicting outcomes.

The results revealed several clinical applications, including diagnosing PCNSL in critical settings (elderly or frail patients, deep locations, steroid responsiveness), defining minimal residual disease, an early indication of tumor response or relapse following treatments, and outcome prediction.

The study lacked clinically validated circulating biomarkers for managing primary and secondary CNS lymphomas. Standardizing biofluid collection, analyte selection, and molecular analysis techniques is imperative. Various assays require evaluation through well-organized central testing within clinical trials.

Research did not receive any funding specific to the study.

Source: https://academic.oup.com/neuro-oncology/advance-article/doi/10.1093/neuonc/noae032/7643770?searchresult=1

Nayak L, Bettegowda C, Scherer F, et al. (2024) “Liquid biopsy for improving diagnosis and monitoring of CNS lymphomas: a RANO review.” Neuro-Oncology, 2024; noae032, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noae032