According to a new study, scientists have developed a simple DNA blood test that can predict how well certain breast cancer treatments will work for patients, offering up the most effective options to boost the individual’s chances of beating the disease.
A new simple DNA blood test has been developed by a team at the Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR) that can predict how well patients with breast cancer will respond to certain treatments, ideally giving them the best chance of beating the disease.
According to reports, over 2 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer globally every year, making it the most widespread cancer in the world. Like with many diseases and other cancers, treatments have improved in recent decades, however, everyone is different, and the way that breast cancer manifests in the body varies from person-to-person.
Researchers developed and designed a liquid biopsy that can tell doctors how likely a patient is to respond to a specific treatment, even before it begins. The test could become a game changer in the fight against breast cancer, as it gives patients the opportunity to immediately begin treatments that will greatly benefit them and avoid options that won’t help.
Dr. Iseult Browne, a clinical research fellow at the ICR and first author of a study regarding the test, stated that the test analyzes circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) which is released into the blood of patients by cancer cells.
“Our study shows that a simple blood test measuring circulating tumor DNA can provide an early prediction of whether a patients’ breast cancer will respond to treatment.”
The researchers measured microscopic levels of cancer DNA in blood samples from 167 patients with advanced breast cancer. The test itself was trialed before treatment began, and then again four weeks later after a single treatment cycle.
There was a strong association between low levels of ctDNA at the start of treatment, and treatment response, the team stated. “Knowing this at the earliest stage – in this case, at the start of treatment, or after just four weeks – means that we can avoid giving patients drugs that won’t work and provide them with alternatives before their cancer has a chance to grow,” Dr. Browne said.
“For example, they could be given an alternative targeted therapy, a combination of drugs, or even enrolled into a clinical trial to test a novel drug.”
The study was funded by Breast Cancer Now, Cancer Research UK, the NIHR Biomedical Research Center at the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust, and the ICR.
The 167 patients were split into two groups based on the specific type of breast cancer and mutations they had. The Guardian reported that the first group had patients whose cancers had one of five mutations: ESR1, HER2, AKT1, AKT, or PTEN. The patients in that group also had received targeted treatments to align with those mutations.
The second group consisted of individuals who had what is known as triple negative breast cancer. This is an aggressive form of breast cancer that makes up around 10-15% of cases globally, and has no true targetable mutation. Those patients received “the PARP inhibitor olarparib, and the ATR inhibitor ceralasertib,” reports cite. Dr. Browne stated that they are currently in the process of trialling how potentially changing a patient’s treatment based on their new test could shift their road to recovery.
“Trials are now under way to see if adapting a patient’s treatment based on these early blood tests does indeed improve their outcome – giving them more time of living well with their cancer kept at bay.”
Patients in the second group showed low ctDNA levels before treatment began which was associated with longer “progression-free survival – 10.2 months, compared with 4.4 months.” 40% of patients had low ctDNA levels and saw their tumors shrink or disappear in response to their treatment, 9.7% had higher levels.
After only four weeks of treatment, patients within the first group with undetectable ctDNA had “particularly good outcomes.” Their cancer was “kept at bay” for about 10 months, compared to 3.5 months for those whose ctDNA was still detectable, the Guardian reports.
Within the second group, the blood test after four weeks of treatment showed a strong connection between ctDNA levels and patient outcomes.
“By analysing circulating tumor DNA in blood samples from patients with advanced breast cancer, we identified a clear link between these levels, both at the start and after one cycle of treatment, and how well patients responded to therapy,” Browne said.
“These findings support the use of ctDNA as a non-invasive biomarker for predicting outcomes and monitoring treatment response.”
Professor Nicholas Turner, a professor of molecular oncology at the ICR stated that “this research looked at advanced breast cancer, but these tests could also work for early-stage breast cancers.”
“The liquid biopsy has the potential to make treatment decisions faster, more personalized and ultimately more effective.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
