Breakthrough blood test could spare thousands of patients gruelling chemo every year

A blood test that detects traces of cancer cells could save thousands of patients from grueling chemotherapy every year.

Researchers at a leading NHS hospital are investigating whether it could be used to show whether surgery has removed bowel tumours.

They say that half of patients with stage three colon cancer are cured by surgery alone and are unnecessarily overtreated with intravenous chemotherapy after their surgery.

About 1,600 colorectal cancer patients are being recruited for the UK study, led by the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

The blood tests work by looking for microscopic traces of cancer in the bloodstream called circulating tumor DNA.

The presence of these marks, which are invisible on scans, indicates whether the patient has been cured by their surgery or not.

Dr. Naureen Starling, the trial’s lead investigator, said the outcome of the study could affect the way thousands of colon cancer patients are treated each year.

“Half of patients with stage 3 bowel cancer are cured by surgery alone, so we are over-treating a large proportion of patients,” she told the BBC.

The hope is that this specialized technology can spare many cancer patients unnecessary chemotherapy.

‘It’s good for the patient, it’s good for healthcare, it’s good for cost savings within the NHS. That would be a win-win situation,” Dr. Starling added.

The trial, called TRACC, uses a test created by US company Guardant Health.

The samples are sent to their labs in California for analysis, and the results come back within two weeks.

The trial will examine whether there is a difference in survival rates after three years between the patients whose treatment was guided by the blood test compared to standard chemotherapy treatment.

Trials are also underway in the UK to similarly monitor patients with lung and breast cancer.

Dr. Starling said the potential for this new test in cancer care is “enormous,” not only in detecting residual disease after surgery, but also for early diagnosis.

Ben Cooke, 52, who runs a hair salon in Chelsea, London, and also works as a stylist for fashion shoots, is taking part in the trial.

In early March last year, he noticed some dark blood in his poop. He called NHS 111 and was sent to the emergency room.

He was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, which was successfully treated with surgery.

The gold standard treatment is to then receive intravenous chemotherapy to clear out any remaining tumor cells and reduce the risk of the cancer returning.

But the chemotherapy used for colon cancer, oxaliplatin, can cause painful tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, called peripheral neuropathy.

This nerve damage can be long-lasting and Ben worried it could affect his ability to do the job he loves.

He told the BBC: ‘I couldn’t deal with that. I have to work, it’s my therapy.’

His test showed he was cancer-free, so he avoided intravenous chemotherapy.

Instead, like everyone else in the trial, he took an oral chemo tablet twice a day.

This had minimal side effects and allowed him to continue working.

“The fact that I had no tingling in my hands was just an absolute blessing,” he added.

A study of 455 patients with colon cancer, presented at a major cancer conference last year, found that using blood tests to guide treatment could halve the number of patients needing postoperative chemotherapy, without the risk of relapse.

But dr. Starling says her much larger randomized trial is essential to calibrate exactly how much confidence can be placed on liquid biopsies.