Comparison of methods for circulating cell-free DNA isolation using blood from cancer patients: impact on biomarker testing

Cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The incidence of cancer has increased over the years and this trend is expected to rise in the near future (1-3). Recent breakthroughs in the understanding of the biological processes underlying cancer development have led to more effective treatment strategies and targeted therapies have irrevocably changed the treatment of cancer patients. Yet, the use of such therapies requires the biomarker testing in tumor biopsy and obtaining sufficient amount of tumor material for the analysis of somatic mutations in targetable genes is somehow challenging