Doctors are studying a new way to understand cancer using a small blood test. This test looks for tiny pieces of tumor DNA floating in the blood. It’s called “circulating tumor DNA” or ctDNA. When found early, this may help show how aggressive the cancer is.
Researchers looked at over 600 patients with solid tumors. They found that people with a high level of ctDNA had a higher risk of their cancer getting worse or dying from it. Those with low or no ctDNA did better. This means the blood test could be used to guide treatment or check how patients are doing without doing invasive procedures.
The method used in the study is called ULP-WGS, which is a low-cost version of whole-genome sequencing. It works even with a very small amount of DNA in the blood. The test found differences even before patients started treatment.
If this blood test becomes more common, doctors could catch changes in cancer earlier and help people faster. It could be a simple and less painful way to watch cancer and respond before it spreads.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgae073
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