We’ve enlisted a few of our research experts to help guide you through some of the most important announcements at the world’s biggest cancer conference. The 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting runs until the 4th of June, and we’ll keep updating this page until then.
A test to predict if breast cancer will return
An ‘ultra-sensitive’ blood test can tell doctors whether breast cancer will return after surgery, according to trial results presented at ASCO on the 1st of June.
It works by picking out tiny amounts of cancer-specific DNA (called circulating tumour DNA, or ctDNA) that can escape from a tumour and persist in the blood even after initial treatment.
Although ctDNA can’t be picked up by the scans and tissue samples (biopsies) doctors currently use to look for cancer, it raises the risk of disease returning.
A team led from the Institute of Cancer Research in London have shown that the NeXT Personal liquid biopsy test can show whether ctDNA remains after surgery and use that information to predict when breast cancer will relapse.
In a 76-patient study, the new test used ctDNA to correctly identify all 10 women whose breast cancers went to on to relapse – long before these returning cancers became visible on scans. The data released so far also suggests there were no false-negatives: no one the test said was ctDNA-free has seen their cancer return.
Researchers think the test could be used to show which women need preventive therapy after surgery and which can be spared further treatment.
“Early detection is key to improving cancer survival, so it’s positive that this study lays the foundation for a blood test that predicts the return of cancer in people who have had early breast cancer surgery,” said Dr Catherine Elliot, our director of research.
“Researchers measured circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) to help find cancer cells that remain after surgery. The results show a strong correlation between ctDNA detection and relapse, with cancer returning around one year after detection.
“Results like this demonstrate how liquid biopsy technology can be used to inform kinder, more targeted treatment for patients based on their risk of recurrence.”
