Staff Writer
Liquid
biopsies, a new type of blood test, could potentially provide a new noninvasive
form of cancer care. The biopsies look
for and capture cancer cells found in the blood. They utilize gene profiling to determine what
mutations cause the cancer. These
biopsies are done as opposed to actually removing tissue from the tumor, and
could potentially provide a more accurate way of discovering which cancer
medicines will be most effective for an individual. This could save health care costs by quickly
finding the right drugs to use for treatment instead of having to experiment
with different medicines.
Liquid
biopsies are usually done when it would be difficult to perform a tissue biopsy. While they are fairly new and uncommon, some
studies suggest that liquid biopsies could be equally or more effective than
tissue biopsies. Liquid biopsy research
is still in its early stages, but it is already making progress. Two years ago, it was rarely used for
practical purposes, but now it is a more accepted form of care.
Liquid
biopsies are attractive to cancer patients who want to avoid as many invasive
or surgical procedures as possible. There
is a clear desire for noninvasive cancer treatments, and other forms are
currently being researched. Trovagene, a
company based in San Diego, is currently researching how to detect tumor DNA in
urine.
