Lung cancer stands as the most prevalent form of
cancer globally, posing a significant threat to human well-being. Due to the lack of effective and accurate early diagnostic methods, many patients are diagnosed with advanced
lung cancer. Although surgical resection is still a potential means of eradicating
lung cancer, patients with advanced
lung cancer usually miss the best chance for surgical treatment, and even after surgical resection patients may still experience
tumor recurrence. Additionally,
chemotherapy, the mainstay of treatment for patients with advanced
lung cancer, has the potential to be chemo-resistant, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. The emergence of liquid biopsies has garnered considerable attention owing to their noninvasive nature and the ability for continuous sampling. Technological advancements have propelled
circulating tumor cells (CTCs),
circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), extracellular vesicles (EVs),
tumor metabolites,
tumor-educated platelets (TEPs), and
tumor-associated
antigens (TAA) to the forefront as key liquid biopsy
biomarkers, demonstrating intriguing and encouraging results for early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of
lung cancer. This review provides an overview of molecular
biomarkers and assays utilized in liquid biopsies for
lung cancer, encompassing CTCs, ctDNA,
non-coding RNA (ncRNA), EVs,
tumor metabolites, TAAs and TEPs. Furthermore, we expound on the practical applications of liquid biopsies, including early diagnosis, treatment response monitoring, prognostic evaluation, and recurrence monitoring in the context of
lung cancer.