Liquid biopsy blood test shows treatment success of colon cancer

Blood test reveals relapse risk after colon cancer treatment
Colon cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in men and women in this country. More than 25,000 Germans die every year. Liquid biopsies in the form of a blood test should make cancer easier and earlier recognizable and thus more treatable.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers
Colorectal cancer is one of the three most common cancers in Germany. Nearly a fifth of those affected have a family history. But even people who suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease are at increased risk. In addition, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and malnutrition, such as a very high fat and meat diet, are among the factors that increase the risk of colon cancer. According to health experts, this cancer is often curable at an early diagnosis: early detection can save lives. So-called liquid biopsies can be helpful here. A new study shows that this method provides relatively reliable results.

Colon cancer is curable in many cases if diagnosed early. Liquid biopsies in the form of a blood test should make the cancer recognizable earlier. (Image: Alex / fotolia.com)

Patients often experience relapses
According to experts, it is common for colon cancer patients, even after the removal of the tumor to relapse. The question of whether the surgery helped or not, often worries patients for a long time. A blood test can show you whether you have won the fight against cancer or not. This is the result of a study by researchers from the Institute of Medical Research in Victoria, Australia, and Johns Hopkins University in the USA. In a recent study using a relatively new technique known as liquid biopsy (liquid biopsy), they tested the blood of 230 patients undergoing colon cancer. The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed that liquid biopsies can be used to test whether cancer patients are likely to be permanently cured or to expect the disease to return.

Liquid biopsy for colorectal cancer diagnosis
At the MedUni Vienna, liquid biopsy for the diagnosis of colon cancer had been tested years ago. "Liquid biopsies take advantage of the fact that tumors and their metastases excrete tumor cells and fragments of tumor DNA, which then circulate in the blood," the scientists said in a statement. In her view, "establishing liquid biopsies as a standard procedure would be a milestone in the history of the disease, and thus in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer." Although previous studies have shown that "this technique is sensitive enough, tumor DNA fragments in patients with cancer According to Bert Vogelstein, co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins University, according to a report by the trade magazine "EurekAlert!", "the new study brings us a big step closer to the actual goal, because it suggests that residual disease in early stage patients can be identified.

Test shows who needs further treatment
In their study, the researchers investigated patients whose cancer was already well advanced but had not metastasized. Although a large proportion of these patients can be cured, some of them can retain some of the tumor, threatening a renewed outbreak of the disease. During therapy, the study participants repeatedly analyzed blood samples and were then observed for two years. Neither patients nor doctors were informed about the results of the tests. It was found that in 79 percent of patients in whose blood was still to find tumor DNA, came to a relapse. In negative tests, however, this rate was only 9.8 percent. From this it can be concluded that physicians with the test could determine relatively reliably who urgently needs further treatment. A negative result, however, could reassure patients that they are 90 percent likely to be cured. (Ad)