01 Liquid Biopsy Is Expanding Comprehensive Tumor Profiling The Solid Tumor Testing Market is shifting toward blood-based liquid biopsy alongside conventional tissue testing. Liquid biopsy analyzes tumor-derived material circulating in blood, helping clinicians obtain molecular information when tumor tissue is difficult to collect or insufficient. Newer platforms are also combining genomic and epigenomic signals to increase the amount of information obtained from one sample. The approach does not fully replace tissue biopsy, but it creates a more flexible testing pathway for advanced cancers. As targeted therapies expand, demand is increasing for blood-based platforms capable of identifying multiple actionable biomarkers through one test. In May 2026, the FDA approved Guardant360 Liquid CDx, which assesses a genomic footprint 100 times wider than the previous Guardant360 CDx and integrates genomic and epigenomic profiling.
01 Expanding Targeted Therapies Are Making Biomarker Testing Essential Companion diagnostics therefore become directly linked to therapy adoption, creating recurring demand as new cancer drugs and indications receive regulatory approval. Testing is particularly important in cancers such as lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, where molecular characteristics increasingly influence treatment selection. As drug developers identify additional actionable mutations, diagnostic companies can expand existing platforms through new companion-diagnostic claims rather than developing completely separate testing systems for every therapy.
01 Limited Tissue and Unequal Testing Access Restrict Wider Adoption Solid tumor testing can be restricted when obtaining sufficient tumor material is difficult. Some tumors are hard to reach safely, while small biopsy samples may contain too little usable tissue for extensive molecular analysis. Testing availability also varies between hospitals, and insurance coverage can depend on whether evidence supports the clinical value of a particular assay. These factors can delay or prevent comprehensive profiling even when testing could help treatment decisions. Wider market adoption therefore depends on improving sample efficiency, laboratory access, reimbursement, and clinically validated testing pathways.
01 Repeated ctDNA Testing Is Opening a New Monitoring Market An important opportunity is moving solid tumor testing beyond initial diagnosis and treatment selection toward repeated molecular monitoring. Blood-based circulating tumor DNA testing makes repeat sampling easier than repeated invasive tissue biopsies and can potentially identify emerging mutations before conventional imaging shows progression. This creates recurring testing demand throughout a patient's treatment journey rather than a single test at diagnosis. Diagnostic companies can therefore develop monitoring platforms, companion diagnostics, and longitudinal data services that connect molecular changes with treatment decisions across breast, lung, colorectal, and other solid cancers.
01 Tumor Heterogeneity Makes Molecular Results Harder to Interpret A major challenge is that cancer cells within the same patient do not always contain identical biomarkers. One biopsy samples only part of a tumor at a particular time, while molecular characteristics can also change as cancer progresses or responds to treatment. Consequently, a detected biomarker may describe only part of the disease, and a previously obtained result may become outdated. Larger sequencing panels generate additional information, but not every detected genomic alteration has an approved treatment or established clinical meaning. Laboratories and clinicians therefore need strong bioinformatics and interpretation capabilities to separate actionable findings from uncertain ones while deciding when repeat or complementary testing is appropriate.
January 2026 Foundation Medicine expanded its comprehensive genomic profiling solutions for solid tumors with advancements in precision oncology testing, supporting biomarker identification and targeted cancer therapies.
November 2025 Guardant Health expanded its oncology testing portfolio with liquid biopsy and genomic profiling solutions designed to support treatment selection and monitoring for solid tumor patients.
September 2025 Tempus expanded its AI-enabled cancer diagnostics platform with new genomic testing capabilities supporting personalized treatment decisions and oncology research.
July 2025 Illumina expanded its next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions for oncology applications, supporting genomic analysis and biomarker detection in solid tumor testing workflows.