Blood Test Could Match Cancer Patients to Best Treatments
Scientists have developed a blood test that could help pair cancer patients with the most suitable therapy for their disease, then track disease progression to see if the treatment is effective. This research was published in Clinical Cancer Research (2015; doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-0584).
Using blood tests throughout a patient’s treatment provides a running commentary of what is happening to tumors. This gives scientists the lowdown on how well a treatment is working, how the cancer is changing, and whether resistance to treatment is developing. This is the first time a blood test has been used in this way during clinical trials of targeted drugs, proving that the technique can monitor cancer simply and quickly…
