Blood test for early detection of breast cancer metastasis

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cp418
cp418 Member Posts: 7,079
edited May 2015 in Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/15051...

New hope has been given for a way of detecting metastases significantly earlier than is currently possible. The discovery is based on what is known as cell-free circulating DNA -- small fragments of genetic material from different cells which circulate in the blood. It is normal to have low amounts of such DNA material in the blood, but in the case of diseases such as cancer, these amounts can increase. Furthermore, in cancer patients, the circulating DNA contains the genetic mutations which are specific to the tumor.

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  • MsPharoah
    MsPharoah Member Posts: 1,034
    edited May 2015

    Its comforting that there are some in the medical community who think detecting metastasis early is beneficial.


    MsP

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  • virginiab
    virginiab Member Posts: 205
    edited May 2015

    Wow. If this pans out with further research and they can use it to determine who needs chemo, radiation, and other treatments, it could ease a lot of pain and a lot of expense. This is very cool news.

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