The Association of Medical Oncologists of Serbia (UMOS) and SDIR organized the first meeting of the newly established UMOS-SDIR Working Group for Liquid Biopsy in Serbia as part of the SHM1RC & SDIR-7 congress on 09.10.2025. in Belgrade.
The meeting was attended by representatives of both associations and the non-academic sector and effective expansion of new research directions as well as the application of liquid biopsy in clinical practice in Serbia was discussed. After the Colloquium on liquid biopsy, which was organized on February 26, 2025. year, it was concluded that it is necessary to conduct a detailed review of the current state of application of liquid biopsy in our country as a basis for formulating a clear national strategy for further implementation of LB in Serbia.
Dr. Milena Čavić and Dr. Davorin Radosavljević informed their colleagues that an invitation from the editors of the journal Molecular Oncology (ISSN 1878-0261) was received for the preparation of an invited Policy Paper publication based on the first conclusions of the Working Group and the national initiative. The preparation of the first version of the publication is underway, which will provide an overview of the scope of application of liquid biopsy in oncological research and clinical practice in Serbia so far. All interested colleagues who have not yet applied for participation in writing the paper can apply to UMOS or SDIR until November 30, 2025. with a concrete proposal of a possible contribution. As part of the cooperation of the Working Group with the European Society for Liquid Biopsy (ELBS), a request for official support of this publication will be submitted by their Regulatory Group, which deals with expanding the implementation of liquid biopsy in Europe.
After a constructive discussion about the need for increased education in this area, it was proposed that in 2026 a school of molecular oncology with a focus on liquid biopsy intended for clinicians and young researchers be organized. The invitation will be sent to all members of UMOS and SDIR. All interested colleagues who have lecture/training proposals that they could offer can report to UMOS or SDIR by 30.11.2025
As part of the cooperation of the Working Group with the European Association for Liquid Biopsy, an award was established for the best abstracts in the field of liquid biopsy at SDIR congresses. The winner of the 2025 award was Dr. Bojana Cikota Aleksić from the Military Medical Academy for the abstract entitled “The association of baseline concentrations of circulating tumor DNA with clinical course of advanced melanoma”.
All members of the Working Group agreed to spread information about the establishment of the Working Group to their colleagues and contacts in the country in order to include as many colleagues who work in this area or have future plans. As the first future goal, applying for a joint project that would include several national clinical and research centers and connect colleagues dealing with liquid biopsy in all oncological localizations was considered.