Liquid biopsy: expanding the frontier of circulating biomarker discovery and validation in breast cancer

Liquid biopsies represent an attractive, minimally-invasive alternative to surgical sampling or complex imaging of breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis. Here we present a summary of the major biomarker components often evaluated in liquid biopsy samples from patients with breast cancer, including circulating tumor cells, circulating cell-free tumor DNA, and cancer-associated plasma proteins. We discuss recent advancements in methods of detection and use of these biomarkers in breast cancer. Finally, we highlight some of our own recent contributions to breast cancer liquid biopsy, including the identification and characterization of circulating Cancer Associated Fibroblasts.