Advances in molecular diagnostics are reshaping how cancer is detected, monitored, and treated, and liquid biopsy is becoming central to that progress. This simple blood draw can reveal key tumor biology at diagnosis and over time, providing timely insight and guiding more precise decisions throughout a patient’s journey. Clinicians now face an important challenge: knowing what is actionable today and what is coming next so more patients can benefit from the promise of these advances.

As we kick off Season 7, host and patient advocate Karan Cushman expands this season’s focus on Bringing Precision Medicine to Everyone with a deeper look inside the science of liquid biopsy. The conversation features two leaders shaping the field: Dr. Christian Rolfo, Division Director of Medical Oncology at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State University, and Dr. Roberto Borea, Medical Oncologist and emerging investigator from the Rolfo Lab.

Together, they break down the scientific momentum driving liquid biopsy forward, including tumor fraction, MRD-guided treatment strategies, resistance monitoring, fragmentomics, and the expanding frontier of early detection. They also discuss the barriers that continue to slow broader adoption, such as assay variability, limited standardization, reimbursement gaps, and operational challenges in community settings.

In this episode, we cover:

• How tumor fraction is emerging as a meaningful real-time biomarker

• Where MRD-driven escalation and de-escalation strategies are heading

• The current promise and limitations of early detection and MCED testing

• What is required to standardize liquid biopsy across reporting, workflows, and clinical trials

Episode 70 offers a clear look at the advances researchers are helping drive right now and what these developments could mean for clinicians, laboratories, and patients in the near future.

This conversation builds on episode 69 with Dr. Kashyap Patel, who introduced the foundations of liquid biopsy and its role in accelerating treatment decisions. Combined, these two episodes offer clinicians and patients an overview of where the science and real-world applications stand now and where the field is headed next.