Overview
- Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research analyzed 191 blood samples from 86 patients drawn from five clinical trials.
- The assay identified subtype switching in 19% of samples when compared with two tissue biopsies taken on average more than five years apart.
- In about 8% of samples the blood test indicated concurrent tumor types where tissue suggested a switch, raising the possibility of combined targeted therapies for some patients.
- BCMA reads methylation patterns in circulating tumor DNA, offering a non-invasive way to track tumor evolution and potentially reduce reliance on repeat biopsies.
- Findings were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium with funding from Breast Cancer Now, the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK, and the team says the test must be validated in prospective trials before routine use.