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New blood test Breast cancer relapse is recognizable earlier
Breast cancer represents the most common cancer of women, in which more than 70,000 sufferers in this country annually. Recognized and treated in time, most breast cancers are curable. Nevertheless, even after a long time, a recurrence of the disease or metastases must be expected. However, with the help of a new blood test, a relapse could in future be forecast much earlier than previously.
Late menopause and lack of exercise increase the risk of illness
Breast cancer (breast cancer) is a malignant tumor of the mammary gland, which affects around 71,000 women every year in Germany. The exact causes are not yet fully understood, instead, the majority of those affected without clear cause triggers. However, a number of risk factors are known that may favor their development. These include a benign change in the glandular tissue of the breast (mastopathy), hereditary factors, a late menopause, lack of exercise and obesity.
Very good chances of recovery with timely recognition
If breast cancer is discovered early and treated accordingly, the chances of recovery today are very good. However, in contrast to many other cancers, breast cancer can cause relapse even months later, so consistent follow-up care is particularly important. Here, a new blood test could be a great help in the future. As British researchers report in the journal "Science Translational Medicine", this indicates an impending relapse apparently earlier than previous procedures.
According to the researchers in a small study a recurrence of the disease in about 80 percent of those affected an average of almost eight months earlier than conventional methods, according to the researchers to Isaac Garcia-Murillas Institute of Cancer Research in London. The researchers studied 55 women who had breast cancer detected early and had chemotherapy and tumor removal. After the procedure, the experts took some blood from the women every six months and checked for possible relapses.
Digital polymerase chain reaction offers new possibilities for patients
In 15 subjects the tumor returned within two years, but with the help of the blood test 12 cases could have been detected early. "Our study shows for the first time that such blood tests can be used to predict a relapse," said study director Nicholas Turner in a statement from the Institute of Cancer Research. To prove the cancer, the doctors had used the so-called "digital polymerase chain reaction" (PCR), with the help of which the genetic material can be analyzed. It was found that the tumor returned as a result of mutations often had different properties than the previously removed growth. Accordingly, the PCR can help to select the best possible therapy, the researchers write.
Larger clinical trials planned from next year
"It will be several years before the test could be available in hospitals," says Turner. "But we want to speed this up by doing much larger clinical trials from next year. There are still challenges in implementing this technology, but digital PCR is relatively inexpensive and the information it provides could make a real difference to breast cancer patients, "the lead investigator continues.
Era of personalized medicine for cancer patients
Also the oncologist Dr. Tilak Sundaresan and Daniel Haber of Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, comment on the benefits of the blood test in an accompanying commentary to the study. By an early prediction of a relapse would therefore increase the chances of recovery, also by the analysis of the respective genome, the selection of an optimal therapy possible. The test "gives you a unique opportunity to treat the cancer while theoretically still curable," says Sundaresan.
"We are moving into an era of personalized medicine for cancer patients. This test could help us stay one step ahead of the cancer by monitoring changes and selecting treatments that exploit the individual weaknesses of each tumor, "adds Professor Paul Workman, Managing Director of the Institute of Cancer Research. (No)