The variant profile of the tumor in a blood sample
The genetic alterations of primary tumors and metastases as well as the general tumor burden can be detected non-invasively in blood plasma - gently and at any time. Even the smallest amounts of somatic tumor variants in blood plasma are relevant for therapy. We have the analytical methods required for this.

Liquid Biopsy enables personalized medicine in cancer therapy to make the best treatment decisions for each individual patient.
Residual disease after surgery / prognosis
Determination of residual disease with liquid biopsy after surgery improves classification into high-risk and low-risk patients.
Therapy monitoring
During chemotherapy, Liquid Biopsy can indicate therapy response or tumor progression by measuring tumor burden during therapy.
Therapy decision and development of resistance
The likelihood of success of targeted antibody therapies depends mainly on the individual genetic tumor profile. Liquid Biopsy can capture this and thus help decide on treatment or discontinuation.

Liquid Biopsy: Opportunities for Watch & Wait
Sometimes patients and physicians decide to wait (surveillance) and start treatments only at tumor progression. Liquid Biopsy can support this approach.
Our Liquid Biopsy analyses can indicate residual disease and tumor progression by detecting tumor DNA in plasma. This information can help patients and physicians with the continuation of the treatment strategy.
Click here for the MGZ Liquid Biopsy publications.
The MGZ Liquid Biopsy tumor analyses at a glance
The MGZ Munich offers the following test options following the guidelines for tumor analysis for the treatment of metastatic breast and ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer as well as melanoma:
Therapy decision / Molecular pathology
GENE PANEL ANALYSES
Highly sensitive duplex sequencing (no standard NGS analysis)
Limit of Detection: 0.5 % tumor variant in plasma
Therapeutic relevance | Type of tumor | Genes |
VEGF- and EGFR-Inhibitors | Colorectal cancer | BRAF, KRAS, NRAS |
TKI-EGFR-Inhibitors | Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) | EGFR (Exons 18-21) |
BRAF-MEK-Inhibitors | Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Melanoma | BRAF |
PARP-Inhibitors | Ovarian carcinoma | BRCA1, BRCA2 |
Somatic PI3K-Inhibitors | Breast carcinoma | PIK3CA |
Aromatase-Inhibitors | Breast carcinoma | ESR1 (Kodons 376-382, 460-478 532-540, 303 |
AKT-Inhibitors | Breast carcinoma | AKT1 (Kodon 17) |
TKI-HER2-Inhibitors | Breast carcinoma | ERBB2 |
Tumor – Liquid Biopsy | AKT1 (Kodon 17), BRAF, BRCA1, BRCA2, CCND2, EGFR (Exons 18-21), ERBB2, ESR1 (Kodons 376-382, 460-478 532-540, 303), KRAS, MTOR, NRAS, PIK3CA, TP53 | |
NF1 NF2 | Neurofibromatosis | NF1, NF2 |
PTEN | PTEN | |
APC | APC |
Please feel free to email us your request for a quote.
SPECIFIC HOTSPOT ANALYSES
Digital Droplet PCR Method Limit of Detection: BRAF p.V600E 0.40%,
EGFR exon 19 deletions 0.10 %, EGFR T790M 0.18 %, EGFR L858R 0.08 %, KRAS p.G12/p.G13 0.26 % tumor variant in plasma
Therapeutic relevance |
mNSCLC |
Melanom |
mCRC |
EGFR p.T790M |
✓ | ||
EGFR p.L858R |
✓ | ||
EGFR Exon 19-deletions |
✓ | ||
KRAS p.G12/p.G13 |
✓ | ✓ | |
BRAF p.V600E |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
EGFR Exon 19-deletions EGFR p.L858R EGFR p.T790M | ✓ | ||
EGFR p.T790M & EGFR p.L858R | ✓ | ||
EGFR p.T790M & EGFR Exon 19-deletions | ✓ |
Progression control
All of the hotspots and genes can also be analyzed as a follow-up control.