Menarini Silicon Biosystems, the pioneer of liquid biopsy and rare cell technologies, will host a symposium on the importance of liquid biopsy and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in advancing precision medicine for patients with metastatic breast and prostate cancer.

The program will take place at the 2019 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress and will feature some of the world's leading clinical researchers in the field of liquid biopsy and CTCs. They will present summaries of available data supporting the clinical impact of prognostic value of CTCs in both early and advanced breast cancer, as well as in advanced prostate cancer. The researchers will also discuss potential clinical applications for liquid biopsy technologies and provide recommendations for using CTC enumeration to manage patients.

"Liquid biopsy plays an increasingly important role in bringing personalized medicine to patients with metastatic breast and prostate cancer," said symposium co-chair Wolfgang Janni, MD, University of Ulm, Germany. "The goal of this symposium is to define the role of CTCs and other blood-based markers in helping physicians better understand cancer evolution and progression. This is the future of precision medicine."

In addition to Dr. Janni, the distinguished presenters include co-chair Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; as well as faculty members Jean-Yves Pierga, MD, PhD, Institut Curie & Universite Paris Descartes, France, and Johann De Bono, MD, PhD, The Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden, London, UK.

"The liquid biopsy field has grown tremendously in the past 15 years, thanks to the initial fundamental demonstration of the ability to detect circulating tumor cells in the blood of cancer patients and the continual improvements in CTC detection and characterization technology," said Dr. Cristofanilli.  "Attendees can expect to get a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art technology for CTC analysis. In addition, they will take part in discussions with the faculty about the future of this field and how we can move toward liquid biopsy as a standard of care for patients with advanced disease." 

New Clinical Perspectives of CTCs in the Era of Precision Medicine will take place 28 September 2019, 18:30-20:00 in Santander Auditorium, Hall 3, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona Spain. The presentations are: 

The program will conclude with a 30-minute roundtable discussion between the faculty and audience members to discuss the current value of CTC enumeration for patient management and its potential future impact on clinical practice.

To learn more, ESMO attendees can visit Menarini Silicon Biosystems at Booth #311.

ESMO is the leading professional organization for medical oncology in Europe. The 2019 ESMO Congress will take place 27 September - 1 October, 2019, Barcelona, Spain.

About Menarini Silicon Biosystems

Menarini Silicon Biosystems offers unique rare cell technologies and solutions that provide clinical researchers with access to unparalleled resolution in the study of cells and their molecular characterization. The company's CELLSEARCH®* and DEPArray™ technologies together provide an end-to-end solution** for enumeration and sorting of rare cells with single-cell precision.

Menarini Silicon Biosystems, based in Bologna, Italy, and Huntingdon Valley, PA, US, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, a multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics company headquartered in Florence, Italy, with 17,640 employees in 136 countries.