Basics of Liquid Biopsy
- What is a liquid biopsy?
a) Imaging of organs
b) Non-invasive sampling of biological fluids
c) Surgical removal of tissue
d) Analysis of cell cultures
Answer: b - Which of the following is the most common biological fluid used in liquid biopsy?
a) Urine
b) Blood
c) Saliva
d) Cerebrospinal fluid
Answer: b - Liquid biopsy primarily detects:
a) DNA and RNA fragments
b) Protein levels
c) Hormones
d) Red blood cells
Answer: a - The main purpose of liquid biopsy is:
a) Cancer detection and monitoring
b) Treating bacterial infections
c) Measuring blood pressure
d) Analyzing dietary intake
Answer: a - The key advantage of liquid biopsy over traditional biopsy is:
a) Its invasive nature
b) Non-invasive and repeatable sampling
c) Higher cost
d) Requirement of surgical intervention
Answer: b
Components Analyzed in Liquid Biopsy
- Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is:
a) RNA from healthy cells
b) DNA fragments from tumor cells
c) Chromosomal RNA
d) Protein from cancer cells
Answer: b - Which is NOT a component analyzed in liquid biopsy?
a) Cell-free DNA (cfDNA)
b) Exosomes
c) Tumor cells
d) Neutrophils
Answer: d - Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are:
a) Dead tumor cells in tissues
b) Tumor cells shed into the bloodstream
c) Normal immune cells
d) Stem cells in blood
Answer: b - Liquid biopsy can detect:
a) Exosomes
b) Tumor DNA
c) Tumor RNA
d) All of the above
Answer: d - Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is derived from:
a) Healthy and tumor cells
b) Red blood cells
c) Platelets
d) Mitochondria only
Answer: a
Techniques Used
- Which of the following methods is used in liquid biopsy?
a) Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
b) Next-generation sequencing (NGS)
c) Digital droplet PCR
d) All of the above
Answer: d - Which technique provides the highest sensitivity for ctDNA detection?
a) Sanger sequencing
b) Digital droplet PCR
c) Flow cytometry
d) Western blot
Answer: b - Which is used to analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs)?
a) Immunocytochemistry
b) Flow cytometry
c) Microfluidics-based technologies
d) All of the above
Answer: d - For analyzing exosomes in liquid biopsy, the primary method is:
a) Mass spectrometry
b) Ultracentrifugation
c) Histopathology
d) Immunohistochemistry
Answer: b - Whole-genome sequencing in liquid biopsy is used to:
a) Identify mutations
b) Determine tumor heterogeneity
c) Track clonal evolution
d) All of the above
Answer: d
Clinical Applications
- Liquid biopsy is most commonly used in:
a) Oncology
b) Cardiovascular diseases
c) Neurological disorders
d) Infectious diseases
Answer: a - Liquid biopsy helps in:
a) Early cancer detection
b) Monitoring treatment response
c) Identifying therapy resistance
d) All of the above
Answer: d - A key application of liquid biopsy is:
a) Detecting minimal residual disease (MRD)
b) Measuring blood pressure
c) Scanning brain activity
d) Analyzing bone density
Answer: a - Which type of cancer is commonly monitored using liquid biopsy?
a) Lung cancer
b) Breast cancer
c) Colorectal cancer
d) All of the above
Answer: d - Liquid biopsy is essential in monitoring:
a) Tumor recurrence
b) Weight loss
c) Blood sugar levels
d) Immune response to vaccines
Answer: a
Advantages of Liquid Biopsy
- Liquid biopsy reduces the need for:
a) Imaging studies
b) Invasive tissue biopsies
c) Radiation therapy
d) Blood transfusions
Answer: b - A major advantage of liquid biopsy is:
a) Low cost
b) Real-time monitoring of tumors
c) High protein detection accuracy
d) Long processing times
Answer: b - Liquid biopsy is particularly valuable for:
a) Analyzing tumor heterogeneity
b) Diagnosing infections
c) Measuring heart rate
d) Monitoring neurological disorders
Answer: a - One limitation of liquid biopsy is:
a) Low specificity for cancer detection
b) High invasiveness
c) Lack of sensitivity for all tumor types
d) Both a and c
Answer: d - Liquid biopsy can provide insights into:
a) Clonal evolution of tumors
b) Immune cell count
c) Blood pressure fluctuations
d) Nutritional status
Answer: a
Challenges in Liquid Biopsy
- A major limitation of liquid biopsy is:
a) Low concentration of ctDNA in blood
b) High levels of circulating proteins
c) Lack of available technologies
d) Limited patient compliance
Answer: a - False negatives in liquid biopsy can occur due to:
a) Low tumor DNA shedding
b) Sample contamination
c) Insufficient sensitivity of detection methods
d) All of the above
Answer: d - Which tumor types pose challenges for liquid biopsy?
a) Tumors with low ctDNA shedding rates
b) Metastatic tumors
c) Blood cancers
d) All tumor types equally
Answer: a - Contamination in liquid biopsy may result from:
a) Cell-free DNA from healthy cells
b) Red blood cells
c) Proteins
d) Lipids
Answer: a - Sensitivity of liquid biopsy is influenced by:
a) Tumor size and stage
b) Patient age
c) Sample volume
d) Both a and c
Answer: d
Emerging Applications
- Liquid biopsy is being explored for:
a) Multi-cancer early detection (MCED)
b) Neurological disease diagnosis
c) Genetic inheritance analysis
d) Cardiovascular risk prediction
Answer: a - ctDNA methylation patterns in liquid biopsy are used to:
a) Classify cancer types
b) Measure oxygen saturation
c) Monitor physical activity
d) Detect hormonal imbalances
Answer: a - Liquid biopsy is under development for:
a) Personalized cancer therapies
b) Real-time tracking of tumor evolution
c) Minimizing radiation exposure
d) Both a and b
Answer: d - Multi-analyte liquid biopsy involves:
a) Combining ctDNA, CTCs, and exosomes analysis
b) Using only exosomes
c) Measuring hormone levels
d) Focusing on a single mutation
Answer: a - Liquid biopsy for neuro-oncology focuses on:
a) Cerebrospinal fluid analysis
b) Heart rate monitoring
c) Liver enzyme activity
d) Blood glucose levels
Answer: a
Future Directions
- Liquid biopsy may replace:
a) Tissue biopsies in certain cases
b) Genetic testing
c) Imaging techniques
d) All of the above
Answer: a - Liquid biopsy is expected to be a cornerstone in:
a) Precision medicine
b) Infectious disease management
c) Immunization programs
d) Cardiopulmonary studies
Answer: a - Integration of AI in liquid biopsy enhances:
a) Data analysis and mutation identification
b) Sample collection
c) Tumor