Non-invasive approaches to monitor EGFR-TKI treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer

Table 2 Summary of non-invasive approaches to monitor EGFR-TKI treatment in NSCLC patients

Non-invasive approaches	Methods	Sensitivity	Specificity	Advantages	Disadvantages	Cost
ctDNA	PCR-based techniques; DNA sequencing	Moderate	High	Feasible on small-amount samples; suitable for detecting specific genes; high reproducibility	Normalization problems	Low
MicroRNAs	RT-PCR-based techniques	Moderate	High	Feasible on small-amount samples; rapid and low cost; high reproducibility	Normalization problems; indirect evidence; few correlative studies	Low
Proteomic biomarkers	Mass spectrometry	High	Moderate	Feasible on small-amount samples; suitable for detecting specific proteins	Normalization problems; complex tumor proteins profile; indirect evidence	Moderate
CTCs	Cell enrichment techniques + PCR-based techniques or DNA sequencing	High	High	Able to analyze distinct cell subpopulations; suitable for detecting specific genes	Low frequency; dependent on capture techniques; normalization problems	High

ctDNA circulating cell-free tumor DNA, PCR polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, CTCs circulating tumor cells

ISSN: 1756-8722