TAYLAN TURAN, MELİHA NUR TÜRKEN
The Journal of European Internal Medicine Professionals - 2025;3(2):78-88
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most prevalent and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor in adults, characterized by significant intratumoral heterogeneity and resistance to conventional therapies. Despite improvements in surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy with temozolomide, GBM remains incurable, with a median survival of 1015 months. Current diagnostic modalities include magnetic resonance imaging and tissue biopsies, face early detection, real-time monitoring, and comprehensive tumor profiling limitations. These challenges underscore the urgent need for minimally invasive, highly specific, and sensitive diagnostic tools. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising alternative, enabling the detection of circulating biomarkers, including circulating tumor cells, cell-free nucleic acids, extracellular vesicles, and proteins from biofluids such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid. These biomarkers offer insights into tumor heterogeneity, therapeutic resistance, and progression while facilitating dynamic treatment response monitoring. This review explores the potential of circulating biomarkers in revolutionizing GBM diagnosis and management, focusing on their molecular characteristics, clinical utility, and limitations. By integrating these innovative approaches into clinical practice, liquid biopsy has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes, heralding a new era in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring of GBM.
