Tuesday, November 24, 2015

LIQUID BIOPSY - No cutting? No kidding?

‘Liquid biopsy’ Promotes Precision Medicine by Tracking Patient’s Cancer says Mayo Clinic News Network

Posted by danasparksWed, Nov 4

"Our findings empirically show that ctDNA analysis from blood samples allows us to detect cancer mutations from multiple different tumor sites within a patient and track how each of them responds," Dr. Murtaza of TGen and Mayo Clinic said. 

The words "of TGen and Mayo Clinic" made me able to rely more on this study (that and the fact it was published in Nature Communications.)  So, can we?  Can we know where cancer has spread (or may spread?

The article emphasized that this technique allows more frequent biopsy.  (And safer.)  

Quickly they taught me a new word: ctDNA:  circulating tumor DNA.

This sort of answers my question from an earlier post about cells escaping from DCIS before "cure."  I don't know when they might start using liquid biopsy that early in the process; it's been the "fashion" to assume we're cured after DCIS is treated, that nothing has spread.  

Your comments are welcome  Here's the link to Mayo News Network.

http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/liquid-biopsy-promotes-precision-medicine-by-tracking-patients-cancer/?linkId=18788499

Nature.com was having technical difficulties this a.m., and I wanted to get this out.

I wish you health.    

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