Computational Multi-Omics in Liquid Biopsy: Integrating Tumor and Immune Signals for Precision Oncology
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Methods and Technologies Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 62
Special Issue Editor
Interests: mutations; tumor heterogeneity; genetics; bioinformatics; clonal evolution; target therapy; secondary resistance; tumor burden; next-generation sequencing; liquid biopsy; colorectal cancers; clinical trial; immunotherapy
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Liquid biopsy is increasingly reshaping the landscape of precision oncology. The possibility of interrogating tumor-derived material in blood has opened new avenues for disease monitoring, treatment stratification, and minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment in solid tumors.
While circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis has already entered clinical practice in selected settings, its full potential lies in the integration of multiple molecular layers. Beyond single-marker detection, liquid biopsy now enables the combined evaluation of tumor genomic alterations, immune-related signals, and longitudinal molecular changes under therapeutic pressure. This multi-omic perspective may significantly enhance our ability to understand tumor evolution, anticipate relapse, and monitor response to systemic therapies, including immunotherapy.
However, clinically meaningful interpretation of blood-based assays remains challenging. Tumor-derived signals are often present at very low levels and must be distinguished from biological background and technical variability. The translation of liquid biopsy into routine care therefore depends not only on accurate technologies but also on transparent, reproducible analytical approaches capable of supporting clinical decision-making.
In this context, computational multi-omics plays a central role. Integrative frameworks that combine tumor and immune-related signals over time may improve risk stratification, refine MRD assessment, and provide insights into tumor/immune co-evolution during therapy. Bridging analytical robustness with clinical applicability is essential to move from promising biomarkers to validated tools in patient management.
This Special Issue aims to collect original research articles, translational studies, and clinically oriented methodological contributions that advance the multi-omic integration of liquid biopsy in solid tumors. Particular interest will be given to studies that:
- Integrate tumor genomic and immune-related signals from blood;
- Evaluate liquid biopsy in longitudinal clinical settings;
- Assess MRD and early relapse detection strategies;
- Explore tumor–immune dynamics under systemic therapy;
- Connect analytical performance with demonstrated clinical utility;
- Proteomics, lipidomics, or metabolomics from blood signals in clinical contexts.
By focusing on computational multi-omics as a clinically enabling framework, this Special Issue seeks to highlight how integrative blood-based analyses can contribute to more precise, dynamic, and personalized cancer care.
Dr. Giovanni Crisafulli
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- liquid biopsy
- minimal residual disease (MRD)
- circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)
- immunogenomics
- tumor evolution
- ultra-low frequency variant detection
- computational oncology
- error modeling and noise suppression
- clonal hematopoiesis
- longitudinal molecular monitoring
- tumor/immune system coevolution
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