A new ultra-sensitive blood test can accurately predict breast cancer recurrence early, according to test results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. The test can detect relapse up to 41 months before relapse is confirmed by detecting circulating tumor DNA, potentially improving survival rates for patients.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide, with millions diagnosed and hundreds of thousands of deaths in 2020. Early detection of cancer recurrence through this blood test can lead to more effective treatment and prevention strategies, initiating treatment earlier and enhancing survival rates.
Liquid biopsy, currently used in clinical trials, provides insights into disease progression and treatment response by analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA, and cell-free RNA, enhancing biomarker discovery, patient stratification, and treatment assessment precision.
The test accurately assesses HER2 status in patients with advanced breast, gastroesophageal, and ovarian cancers, and can quantify ER pathway activation in advanced breast cancer patients.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Yahoo, Independent, BBC, The Guardian, NewsBytes, ScienceTimes, NewTelegraphNG, EagleTribune, Benzinga, BiopharmaDive