Liquid biopsies, which detect fragments of tumor DNA in the bloodstream, may be an effective alternative to conventional tumor biopsies, according to The New York Times.
Researchers at Sacramento-based University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center studied the results of almost 15,000 liquid biopsies performed by Silicon Valley startup Guardant Health.
Here are six things to know about the study's findings:
- Currently, liquid biopsies are not used to diagnose cancer. Instead, physicians rely on the procedure to monitor disease progression and detect genetic mutations in the tumor that may indicate which drug treatment to use.
- Last week, the FDA announced its first approval of a liquid biopsy test to detect non-small cell lung cancer mutations in the blood.
- Unlike other liquid biopsy tests that only look for a few mutations, Guardant's test assesses the blood for mutations in 70 cancer-related genes.
- According to the study, if a specific mutation was found in the blood, it was also found in the tumor biopsy 94 to 100 percent of the time.
- For about 15 percent of the patients in the study, no tumor DNA was detected in the blood, as some tumors simply don't shed DNA into the bloodstream at detectable levels.
- Liquid biopsies are the first step toward developing a blood test to detect all types of cancer at an early stage, when the disease is most treatable. San Diego-based Illumina, a manufacturer of DNA sequencing machines, and Guardant have both launched initiatives to create such a test.
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