TY - JOUR T1 - Circulating Tumor DNA in Biliary Tract Cancer: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives JF - Cancer Genomics - Proteomics JO - Cancer Genomics Proteomics SP - 441 LP - 452 DO - 10.21873/cgp.20203 VL - 17 IS - 5 AU - ALESSANDRO RIZZO AU - ANGELA DALIA RICCI AU - SIMONA TAVOLARI AU - GIOVANNI BRANDI Y1 - 2020/09/01 UR - http://cgp.iiarjournals.org/content/17/5/441.abstract N2 - Peripheral blood of cancer patients “physiologically” presents cells and cellular components deriving from primary or metastatic sites, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating free DNA (cfDNA) and exosomes containing proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. The term circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) indicates the part of cfDNA which derives from primary tumors and/or metastatic sites, carrying tumor-specific genetic or epigenetic alterations. Analysis of ctDNA has enormous potential applications in all stages of cancer management, including earlier diagnosis of cancer, identification of driver alterations, monitoring of treatment response and detection of resistance mechanisms. Thus, ctDNA has the potential to profoundly change current clinical practice, by moving from tissue to peripheral blood as a source of information. Herein, we review current literature regarding the potential role for ctDNA in biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients, with a particular focus on state-of-the-art techniques and future perspectives of this highly aggressive disease. ER -