2023-04-30 08:40:14
This means that almost 16,000 patients a year suffer exhausting side effects from chemotherapy unnecessarily, such as nausea, fatigue, infections, hair loss and permanent nerve damage. Thanks to a blood test that can detect tiny fragments of tumor DNAphysicians can now predict the likelihood of cancer coming back following surgery. Patients with detected tumor DNA are much more likely to relapse within two years and should therefore undergo chemotherapy. However, patients whose tumor DNA is not detected can be spared chemotherapy (source 1).
NHS hospitals have already tested this blood test for lung and skin cancers and found it to be highly accurate in pinpointing patients most likely to relapse. Now Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust oncologists are testing the blood test for bowel cancer patients. The trial is called TRACC and 800 patients are taking part. After the operation, the patients undergo the blood test, and if they have no tumor DNA, they will not receive chemotherapy or will receive a weaker form of it. This new blood test is a big step forward to avoid overtreatment of patients. Oncologists recognize that there is a big problem with over-treating patients, as most patients are offered a concoction of nasty chemotherapeutic drugs, just in case, but for many of them it’s not necessary.
Around 40,000 Britons are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, making it the second deadliest cancer, following lung cancer, largely because many cases are diagnosed at a late stage, when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. However, with this new blood test, doctors can hope to offer more personalized treatment for each patient and increase their chances of survival.
1682850649
#Bowel #cancer #blood #test #ease #treatment
