Serial examination of circulating tumor cell presence after renal cancer surgery could become an irreplaceable source of information reporting on tumor heterogeneity and evolution in time. Test for presence of circulating tumor cells belongs to the group of liquid biopsy tests and one of its main advantages is the relatively minimal invasiveness (blood withdrawal), which indeed enables tumor dynamics follow-up.
Besides circulating tumor cells the presence in patients with renal cell carcinoma undergoing surgery, molecular character of circulating cells can be evaluated by gene expression analysis.