Liquid biopsy set to redefine cancer detection
2024 BMO Ride for Cancer participants and donors to fund groundbreaking technology
In the quest to use a patient’s genetics to uncover whether they’re cancer-free after surgery, a revolutionary breakthrough is unfolding, where the patient journey is being reimagined with a simple blood test.
This isn’t science fiction; it’s the reality of liquid biopsy, a pioneering approach being introduced by a team of doctors and researchers at the Nova Scotia Health Provincial Cancer Care Program (NSHCCP) and the QEII Health Sciences Centre. Their work is setting a new standard in cancer monitoring, enabling earlier treatment and pointing to a future where finding and treating the disease is less invasive and more precise.
Best of all, this healthcare journey will be powered by Nova Scotians from across all walks of life, bringing our collective power to the fight against cancer.
Liquid biopsy is a non-invasive method to detect cancer DNA, following surgery, in a blood sample without the use of traditional surgical methods. It’s especially beneficial for cancers that are difficult to biopsy due to their location, and for patients who are too unwell to undergo biopsy.
“As opposed to having to get a piece of tissue from a tumour, you can get a biopsy just by doing a blood test,” says Dr. Ravi Ramjeesingh, a QEII oncologist on the front lines of the project, who interacts with patients directly, noting its groundbreaking potential.
The liquid biopsy project, overseen by Dr. Helmut Hollenhorst, Senior Medical Director of NSHCCP, aims to bring the new diagnostic technology to cancer patients in Nova Scotia. The benefit for patients is followup testing and continuous monitoring that is more accessible and less daunting for patients.
“It’s really a quantum change in how we approach cancer,” says Dr. Hollenhorst, who oversees the entire spectrum of cancer care from prevention to survivorship.
“We will be amongst the first to deliver this personalized cancer care at scale in the country,” he says. “We want to bring this to Nova Scotians in a way that everybody can eventually benefit from it.”
The project, under NSHCCP, within the umbrella of Nova Scotia Health, is one of many cancer care projects that bring together healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics throughout the province to ensure patients have access to cancer treatment, support and resources they need. The program’s main objectives include improving the coordination and quality of cancer care services, ensuring equitable access to care for all Nova Scotians, and integrating research and education into clinical practice.
And in a province that has one of the highest cancer incidence rates in Canada where one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime and one in three will die from the disease, this technology is gamechanging.
“We used to have a one-sizefits-all type model and now we’re