Scientists develop blood test that can predict cancer prognosis

Scientists have developed a blood test they believe can help predict the prognosis of a deadly form of brain tumour.

The test, called liquid biopsy, measures the amount of DNA shed by cancer cells in the bloodstream – known as cellfree DNA (CFDNA).

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in the US say this test could tell how patients will progress after they are diagnosed with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

The team believe their findings, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, are the first to show that higher concentrations of CFDNA in the bloodstream are linked to lower survival rates.

Dr Erica Carpenter, from the University of Pennsylvania and senior study author, said: “Doctors have begun using liquid biopsies more frequently to monitor certain cancers – particularly lung cancer – in recent years as research has shown their effectiveness in other disease sites. But until now, there has been little focus on the clinical utility of liquid biopsy in brain tumours.”

The team looked at 42 patients who were recently diagnosed with GBM. The 28 patients who had a lower concentration of CFDNA before surgery had almost double the progression-free survival compared with the 14 patients with higher concentrations.

Stephen J Bagley, from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, said: “If our findings are validated by further studies, it would mean that these patients may be able to get a simple blood test that would give us a more accurate assessment than imaging of whether their disease has progressed or not.”