Tumor-Educated Platelets Emerge as a Distinct Liquid Biopsy Analyte
This review in Blood examines tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) as a liquid biopsy approach alongside ctDNA, circulating tumor cells, and extracellular vesicles. Platelets sequester tumor-derived RNA and proteins, providing a complementary snapshot of tumor biology from a standard blood draw. The paper details the advantages, limitations, and current evidence base for TEP-based diagnostics in cancer detection and classification.
The original study
Tumor-educated platelets.
- Authors
- In 't Veld SGJG, Wurdinger T
- Journal
- Blood
- Type
- Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review
- PMID
- 30833413
Original abstract
Liquid biopsies have been considered the holy grail in achieving effective cancer management, with blood tests offering a minimally invasive, safe, and sensitive alternative or complementary approach for tissue biopsies. Currently, blood-based liquid biopsy measurements focus on the evaluation of biomarker types, including circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor cells, extracellular vesicles (exosomes and oncosomes), and tumor-educated platelets (TEPs). Despite the potential of individual techniques, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here, we provide further insight into TEPs.