Liquid Biopsy Market Trends

Main driving factors for the global liquid biopsy market include the growing global incidence of cancer. In the scenario where more and more patients are diagnosed with lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, non-invasive diagnostic modalities that help in early diagnosis are being increasingly required. Liquid biopsies are less painful compared to traditional tissue biopsies and thus track tumor growth in real-time against the responses to therapy, which, in turn, improves the patient outcomes and survival rates. 

The ongoing research on circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, and extracellular vesicles is improving the sensitivity and specificity of liquid biopsy tests. These developments enable physicians to customize cancer therapy according to the unique characteristics of each patient. Pharmaceutical and diagnostic businesses are making significant investments in liquid biopsy technologies as precision medicine gains pace in an effort to provide more specialized and efficient cancer treatment options. 

Despite the several benefits, the liquid biopsy diagnostic technique is rather expensive and can be used very minimally because most underdeveloped regions with low health-care budget capabilities may not afford these diagnostic techniques. Most patients will also not get the treatment using liquid biopsy due to its being partially covered in most insurance coverage plans, and some government health coverage plans. Liquid biopsy tests will not be prescribed by the providers without clear-cut reimbursement policies because the market utilization and adoption levels will be impaired. 

Liquid biopsy technologies require strict regulatory clearances to ensure clinical validation, precision, and reliability. Nevertheless, the disparate regimes of regulations in different countries and regions pose challenges to manufacturers and healthcare providers. The applicability to universal clinical practice is further limited because there is no standard procedure for sample collection, processing, and interpretation of results. These regulatory barriers can potentially increase the aggregate cost of introducing new liquid biopsy tests into the market and delay the approval of products.