Future cancer treatment could be determined by the use of a non-invasive blood test.
Currently, to discover the best course of action for many patients, doctors
need to conduct biopsies to investigate the genetic make up of specific
tumours.
However, scientists have successfully used a new blood examination to build an
accurate assessment of how cancers respond to treatment by measuring the amount
of faulty DNA they shed.
This, investigators explained, also had the advantage of giving doctors a more
thorough account on how the disease is responding to treatment and not just one
tumour.
Dr James Brenton, Cancer Research UK ovarian cancer clinician and study author,
said: “Our technique is much more comprehensive and practical than others that
have been used to measure DNA in the blood."
He added that the tests could also give real-time information allowing doctors
to easily change a patient's treatment to be more effective.
According to the charity, there are more than 200 types of different cancer,
each with their own causes, symptoms and treatments.
© Adfero Ltd
Cancer treatment news : 1 June 2012
