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A blood test to see how well women are responding to breast cancer treatment could be available on the NHS in two years, say UK scientists behind the innovation.
The test, which looks for free-floating DNA from tumours, could help patients live longer by identifying much sooner when a drug is not working.
Professor Carlos Caldas, of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, described the test as a ?liquid biopsy? which might eliminate the need for many invasive and potentially dangerous tumour biopsies in years to come.
He said the test was much cheaper than existing ones, which looked for whole tumour cells in the blood, and could cost just ?tens of pounds?.
He explained that blood was tested for free-floating DNA, which identifies tumours just as barcodes identify products.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9927841/Cancer-blood-test-on-NHS-in-two-years.html
The test, which looks for free-floating DNA from tumours, could help patients live longer by identifying much sooner when a drug is not working.
Professor Carlos Caldas, of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, described the test as a ?liquid biopsy? which might eliminate the need for many invasive and potentially dangerous tumour biopsies in years to come.
He said the test was much cheaper than existing ones, which looked for whole tumour cells in the blood, and could cost just ?tens of pounds?.
He explained that blood was tested for free-floating DNA, which identifies tumours just as barcodes identify products.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9927841/Cancer-blood-test-on-NHS-in-two-years.html