Specialized Blood Collection Tubes for Liquid Biopsy: Improving the Pre-analytical Conditions

Introduction The potential of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis as a liquid biopsy has led to the development of several specialized measuring tools. Interest in the (pre-)analytical conditions of the liquid biopsy workflow has increased over the past few years. Methods In this study, we performed a systematic review of the cfDNA stabilizing efficacy in standard EDTA and specialized blood collection tubes (BCTs), namely CellSave, Norgen, PAXgene, Roche, and Streck tubes, and compared the efficacy of the latter three BCTs in a situation resembling the clinical setting. Blood samples were collected from ten KRAS -mutated metastatic cancer patients and stored for 72 h. During this time, samples were shaken and kept at either 6 °C or at room temperature for 24 h to mimic transport. Results We demonstrated that while cfDNA levels in EDTA tubes are only stable for a couple of (≤ 6) hours, they could be sustained for at least 48–72 h in all three specialized BCTs, irrespective of temperature. This timespan enables a fast turnaround time, which is one of the advantages of liquid biopsy. Conclusions The choice between these specialized BCTs is less vital when they are processed correctly within a few days.