For decades, solid biopsy has been the gold standard for tumor characterization. Liquid biopsy complements it — the two are not substitutes but partners.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Solid Biopsy | Liquid Biopsy |
|---|---|---|
| Invasiveness | Surgical / needle biopsy | Standard blood draw |
| Repeatability | Limited (surgical risk) | Easily repeated |
| Heterogeneity | Represents a single lesion | From all metastatic sites |
| Longitudinal monitoring | Not practical | Repeatable throughout treatment |
| Tissue amount | Sufficient | Limited (rare cells) |
| Cost | Surgery + pathology | Lower (blood + analysis) |
When Is Solid Biopsy Enough?
- Diagnosis: the histological diagnosis of the primary tumor requires solid biopsy
- Tumor subtyping: immunohistochemistry and molecular tests are more reliable on solid tissue
When Should Liquid Biopsy Be Added?
- Treatment response monitoring: an early response/progression marker preceding imaging
- Resistance mutation detection: non-invasive genotyping at progression
- MRD (minimal residual disease) assessment
- Multiple-lesion heterogeneity
Feel free to contact us for our liquid biopsy and CTC services.
Rx-only — prescription screening test. Galleri® is not a diagnostic test. A positive result does not mean a cancer diagnosis; a negative result does not rule out cancer. The test does not replace the routine cancer screenings recommended by your physician. Galleri® does not detect all cancers.