Table 2.
Summary of the advantages and disadvantages of different circulating tumour entities (ctDNA, CTCs, EVs). (ctDNA: circulating tumour DNA, CTC: circulating tumour cells, EVs: extracellular vesicles).
| CTC | ctDNA | EVs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High concentration | NO | NO | YES |
| Study of tumour mutations and methylation patterns | YES | YES | YES |
| Study of tumour RNA transcription profile | YES | NO | YES |
| Detection of systemic changes and inflammation | NO | NO | YES |
| Use of biobanked samples | YES * | YES | YES |
| Functional assays | YES | NO | YES |
| Morphological characterisation | YES | NO | NO |
| Validated predictive value | YES | NO | NO |