A blood sample may be sufficient to diagnose many types of solid tumors and also to monitor the number of cancer cells in the patient’s body and their responses to treatments.
Until now, the existing techniques were based on the control of the tumor DNA present in the body, which required time and several steps to reach an effective diagnosis. However, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine (California) have found a way to detect the disease quickly and safely, and that may soon be applicable in clinical practice.
So far they have been able to accurately identify stage 1 lung cancer in 50% of the individuals sampled , and in all cases of patients with more advanced cancers. According to Maximilian Diehn, professor of radiation oncology, “We have developed a method that bypasses two major obstacles in the field of tumor DNA present in the blood.
For one thing, the technique is sensitive enough to detect small amounts of carcinogenic DNA. In addition, it covers many types of tumors. “The study, published in Nature Medicine , seeks to” improve the way the disease is detected, “according to Ash Alizadeh, a hematologist and oncologist.
“Blood cancers, such as leukemia, are easier to monitor than solid tumors because the bloodstream is easier to access. So, by developing a method that monitors circulating oral tumor DNA, we are transforming solid tumors into liquids, that are tracked better ”.
Even when no treatment is being given, cancer cells are continually dividing and dying, releasing genetic material into the blood in doing so, like little messages in a bottle. Learning to decipher them will allow clinical experts to quickly and non-invasively detect the degree of tumor development, the patient’s response to therapies and treatments, and the evolution of cell mutations.
