Cancer relapse can be detected 7 months early via blood test

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A blood test developed by UK researchers can help detect cancer relapse in patients months before the traces of the disease can be detected.

The simple and efficient blood test made by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London could potentially save lives in breast cancer patients who are at high risk of relapse.

The blood test can reveal small residual cancer cells through tumor DNA in the blood that have not been completely eradicated by treatment therapy. The findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

For the study, 55 patients who were at risk of having breast cancer relapse based on their tumor sizes were studied by the researchers. The test analyzed the blood samples of the participants for DNA that are shed by cancer cells. According to BBC, the blood test trial detected 12 cancers out of the 15 women with recurring breast cancer. According to the scientists the test also predicted the relapse eight months before any new tumor was detected by a scan or by the patient herself.

According to Dr. Nicholas Turner, lead author of the study, the blood test is "promising" as it could help improve the chances of survival for women as the blood tests can also reveal how the DNA in the cancer relapse in women can change over a period of time.

"We have shown how a simple blood test has the potential to accurately predict which patients will relapse from breast cancer, much earlier than we can currently. We also used blood tests to build a picture of how the cancer was evolving over time, and this information could be invaluable to help doctors select the correct drugs to treat the cancer," Dr. Turner said in the report by Daily Mail.

According to the outlet, the new research could also be used in detecting other forms of diseases including bowel, lung and prostate cancers.

Chief executive Paul Workman from the Institute of Cancer Research said in the report by Dail Mail that it could help change how cancer tumors can be treated with a non-invasive approach or without biopsies.

"This test could help us stay a step ahead of cancer by monitoring the way it is changing and picking treatments that exploit the weakness of the particular tumor," Professor Workman stated.

However, more research needs to be done before the test can be made available to the public. Turner said in the report by Telegraph that it will take years but is optimistic as there will be larger clinical trials that will be conducted starting 2016.