Researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto are working on a large clinical trial to see whether a blood test can detect very small amounts of cancer that may remain after patients complete treatment. Multiple outlets describe the approach as a “liquid biopsy,” which looks for traces of cancer DNA in the bloodstream. The reporting says earlier smaller studies and evidence from around the world suggest that cancer DNA can sometimes be found in blood samples even when patients are not showing obvious signs of disease.
According to the coverage, the goal of the trial is to determine whether the test can identify patients at risk for recurrence by detecting minimal residual cancer. If the test result is positive, the outlets say researchers plan for those patients to receive additional experimental treatments intended to lower the chance the cancer will come back. The articles do not provide trial results or timelines, focusing instead on the research effort and the potential for earlier detection and treatment decision-making based on blood-based monitoring.
