BALTIMORE — A promising blood DNA test should be capable of detecting microscopic cancer tumors missed by conventional imaging equipment, scientists in Baltimore said.
The test could revolutionize cancer care by sparing some patients chemotherapy and ensuring other patient receive extra treatment when the original course of treatment fails to kill all the cancer cells, said Victor Velculescu of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
The test uses genetic technology to identify so-called DNA “fingerprints” in tumor cells and then detect them in blood, Velculescu said. In clinical trials, the test detected tiny traces of tumor DNA in the blood of four patients with bowel cancer and two with breast cancer, he said.
The test, known as PARE for personalized analysis of rearranged ends, also could determine whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes and would allow for healthy tissue around a tumor to be left in place, The Times of London reported Friday.
“We believe that this is one of the first applications of new genome sequencing technologies that could be useful for cancer patients,” Velculescu said.
