- Clinicians currently rely on expensive CT scans when considering treatment plans
- Now a simple blood test could speed up the process and increase accuracy
A new blood test is being developed to help doctors determine the best treatment for skin cancer patients.
The test, known as liquid biopsy, is currently in the trial phase, but it is hoped that it will be used regularly in the future to help doctors make crucial decisions about starting and stopping different treatments for patients with advanced melanoma.
The usual way to check how well cancer treatments are working is through a CT scan, which provides detailed images of the inside of the body, and melanoma patients get these every few months. The scan helps doctors determine if a tumor has shrunk, grown, or if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
However, they are time-consuming, require a lot of staff and require patients to spend up to half a day in the hospital. The new test may offer a much simpler option.
A new blood test is being developed to help doctors determine the best treatment for skin cancer patients
The new blood test looks for circulating fragments of cancer DNA. Lower levels mean the cancer is getting smaller and the treatment is working. A higher level shows that the treatment is not working
It looks for circulating fragments of cancer DNA. Lower levels mean the cancer is getting smaller and the treatment is working. A higher level shows that the treatment is not working.
Results can be provided within days, meaning the test can monitor changes in the way the treatment works in real time, doctors say. And because it is just a blood test, it can be performed regularly.
The test focuses on how well the melanoma immunotherapy drugs nivolumab and ipilimumab work. These help the immune system detect and destroy cancer. It can also tell doctors whether patients respond well to dabrafenib and trametinib, which are targeted therapies that interfere with the way certain cancers grow and survive.
These treatments are very effective, but do not work for everyone. And the targeted therapies can stop working suddenly, without warning.
If the test can be performed consistently, it means doctors can pick up on any changes and switch treatments without delay, giving patients the best possible chances.
Professor Paul Lorigan, consultant oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, who led a recent study into the test, said: ‘We used this blood test in real time to identify the best treatment strategy for patients and when to switch to a other therapy.
‘I hope that analyzing the small pieces of DNA from the cancer found in the patient’s bloodstream can be widely used in the future to tell us when a patient is responding to treatment and when is the optimal time to to switch to a new therapy.’