A simple blood test may in future provide breast cancer patients with
an early warning of the disease returning after chemotherapy and
surgery.
The test uncovers small numbers of residual tumour cells that have evaded treatment by detecting cancer DNA in the blood stream.
It is so sensitive that relapses can be predicted several months
before new tumours show up on hospital scans. Scientists hope the test
will also make it possible to identify genetic mutations likely to prove
lethal to some patients, so therapy can be tailored accordingly.
Dr Nicholas Turner, from the Institute of Cancer
Research in London, said: “We have shown how a simple blood test has
the potential to accurately predict which patients will relapse from
breast cancer, much earlier than we can currently.
“We also used blood tests to build a picture of how the cancer was
evolving over time, and this information could be invaluable to help
doctors select the correct drugs to treat the cancer.
“Ours is the first study to show that these blood tests could be used to predict relapse.
Blood tests carried out at six monthly intervals showed very accurately
which patients were likely to suffer a relapse. Women who tested
positive for circulating tumor DNA were 12 times more at risk of cancer
recurrence than those who tested negative. The return of their disease
could be predicted an average of 7.9 months before any visible signs
emerged.
No comments:
Post a Comment