数字PCR技术和其在结直肠癌液体活检中的应用和研究进展

Digital PCR technology and its application and research progress in liquid biopsy of colorectal cancer

液体活检(liquid biopsy)是近年来在肿瘤精准治疗中备受关注的技术,其在结直肠癌的全程管理中起重要作用。液体活检是通过无创的方式分析血液、大便和外泌体等样本,而该项技术面临的挑战是可供分析的核酸物质含量极低,常规的实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应(qPCR)等检测手段无法处理这种低丰度和复杂背景中的靶标,并无法检测到靶标水平的细微变化,而基于聚合酶链反应的数字PCR技术因能解析低丰度靶标并提供高敏感性、高精确度和绝对定量的分析,为解决这一瓶颈提供了可能。本文简要介绍数字PCR的历史、原理、与传统qPCR的区别、商业化和目前的应用场景,并综述数字PCR技术在结直肠癌的各类液体活检样本中的适应性和结直肠癌全程管理中的应用和展望。

Liquid biopsy has gained significant attention in recent years as a promising technique in the field of precision oncology,playing a crucial role in the comprehensive management of colorectal cancer.Liquid biopsy involves the non-invasive analysis of various samples such as blood,stool,and exosomes.However,the challenge lies in the low abundance of nucleic acid materials available for analysis,making it difficult for conventional detection methods like quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)to detect subtle changes in target levels within this low abundance and complex background.Digital PCR,based on the PCR,offers a potential solution to this bottleneck by enabling the analysis of low abundance targets with high sensitivity,accuracy,and absolute quantification.In this article,we provide a brief overview of the history and principles of digital PCR,highlight its differences from traditional qPCR,discuss its commercialization and current applications,and specifically review its adaptability in various liquid biopsy samples for colorectal cancer and its potential applications and prospects in the comprehensive management of colorectal cancer.