Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, have developed a new blood test that is able to detect the return of breast cancer up to eight months before traditional methods.

The test monitors changes in DNA sequencing of a patient’s blood through liquid biopsy.

What is a Liquid Biopsy?

Liquid biopsy is a non-invasive technique used to monitor cancer by analyzing the fragments of genetic material that are released into the bloodstream from cancer cells.

The approach is less invasive than traditional tissue biopsies and is especially helpful in detecting early-stage cancer before cancerous tumors have started to form.

How Does the Blood Test Work?

This novel blood test looks for specific changes in the DNA that cancer cells release into the bloodstream.

When cancer cells release broken parts of DNA into the bloodstream, traditional biopsies can be used to detect tumor DNA that may have metastasized from the primary site of cancer.

This new blood test works by analyzing the patterns of methylation on the DNA strands released into the bloodstream. When DNA is packed into cells, some parts are turned on and others are turned off.

Methylation is a chemical modification that turns parts of DNA off. This means that different cells have different patterns of methylation even if they have the same DNA sequences.

Cancer cells have a unique pattern of methylation, which is different from healthy cells.

By comparing the methylation patterns found in patient blood samples with the reference standards, researchers can detect with a high level of accuracy if a patient’s breast cancer has returned or not.

Advantages of the Blood Test

The traditional method of detecting breast cancer recurrence involves imaging and tissue biopsy. Imaging tests such as PET, CT, or MRI scans can be expensive and may not pick up on early stage cancer.

Tissue biopsies are invasive and can be painful for patients. They are also limited in scope as they can only examine the part of the body where the biopsy is taken from.

The new blood test offers a less invasive alternative to tissue biopsy that may also be more sensitive in detecting early-stage cancer. The test can be performed more frequently than imaging tests, which means that a recurrence can be detected earlier.

Why is Early Detection Important?

The earlier breast cancer is detected, the more likely it is to be successfully treated. According to estimates, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is almost 100% for women with cancers detected at stage 0 or stage 1.

This drops to around 22% for women with cancers that have spread to other parts of the body.

Early detection of breast cancer recurrence can also lead to more personalized treatment plans that are tailored to the patient’s specific needs.

This means that a patient’s quality of life can be improved as side effects from unnecessary treatments and round of imaging tests may be avoided.

Clinical Trial Results

The blood test has undergone a clinical trial involving 55 patients with breast cancer under the care of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

The trial found that the blood test was able to predict whether the cancer would return up to eight months before conventional scans and other tests could detect it.

In total, the blood test detected the return of cancer in 12 out of 33 patients who later showed signs of cancer on traditional scans or physical examination. The test was also able to identify which patients were more likely to suffer a recurrence after treatment.

The same team of researchers is conducting further trials to validate these initial results and to see how the test can be integrated into standard cancer care in the future.

Early Detection = Better Outcomes

The development of this new blood test is significant as it offers a less invasive and more accurate way to detect breast cancer recurrence earlier.

It is still early days in the blood test’s development, but the initial results are encouraging and point to a future in which cancer can be detected in its earliest stages.

The blood test has the potential to change the way cancer is treated, leading to more personalized treatment plans based on the specific needs of each individual patient.

The Future of Breast Cancer Treatment

The potential of this blood test extends beyond detection of cancer recurrence. Scientists are investigating the possibility of using liquid biopsies as an alternative to traditional biopsies in initial cancer diagnosis.

Liquid biopsies can quickly determine how aggressive an individual’s cancer is, leading to a more informed decision to provide the best possible treatment plan tailored to each patient.

As scientists learn more about cancer through DNA sequencing and other biotechnologies, there will come a day when treatment could be even more personalized – offering a better chance of the best possible outcomes.