Further research supported by the Flinders Foundation shows that the test used for bowel cancer can also be used to detect esophageal and stomach cancers.
Together, gastrointestinal cancers of the esophagus, stomach and bowel accounted for the second most common cancer group in Australia in 2020. Expanding these clinical trial studies help to determine the use of test to monitor the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.
A quick and effective test to monitor a cancer patient’s treatment response will revolutionize how we manage and care for affected patients.
“Currently, there is no simple and sensitive test that informs how well a patient is responding to treatment, be it chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery,” says Lead researcher Associate Professor Erin Symonds, from SA Health and Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute. .
The blood test works by detecting a particular type of change to the DNA specific to cancer, which may be shed into the blood stream.
The trial shows that the DNA blood test is twice as sensitive as the standard clinical blood test indicating the course of action is working earlier in the treatment plan.
Depending on the blood test results, doctors together with their patients will be able to make informed decisions about the right treatment strategy and ensure a more personalized approach to treatment.
Personalized adjustment of treatment impacts the quality of life for newly diagnosed cancer patients and improves survival outcomes with cost savings for cancer care and treatment.
Source: Medindia
