Chapters authored
Endoscopic Ultrasound in Pancreatic Cancer
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been developed over the course of the last 50 years. This technique has been shown to improve diagnosis, provide more accurate local information with regards to staging and enhance prediction of surgical resectability. Further to this, minimally-invasive local techniques have been developed, and continue to be developed, to provide both active and palliative management within the treatment schema for pancreatic cancer (PC).
Part of the book: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer
Current Utility and Future Applications of ctDNA in Colorectal Cancer
Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) shows promise as a minimally invasive biomarker with a myriad of emerging applications including early detection and diagnosis, monitoring of disease and treatment efficacy, and identification of actionable alterations to guide treatment. The potential utility of ctDNA in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is of particular interest given the limitations of current radiographic imaging and blood-based tumour markers in detecting disease and evaluating therapeutic benefit. While ctDNA has yet to demonstrate clinical utility in CRC, a growing body of research highlights the potential of these novel biomarkers. This chapter provides an overview of the current evidence for employing ctDNA in CRC as well as previewing the future directions that these exciting technologies may take.
Part of the book: Advances in the Molecular Understanding of Colorectal Cancer