A team of British scientists has found that a blood test used to detect circulating tumour DNA can predict the outcome of lung cancer.
Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is fragments of DNA released into the blood by tumours. It’s known to be important for disease prognosis but can be difficult to measure precisely.
In the study, scientists from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London used a whole-genome sequencing platform called NeXT Personal, which can detect very small amounts — 1 part per million — of ctDNA.
They used the platform to test blood plasma samples from 171 people with early-stage lung cancer.
The finding published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine showed that people with a low level of ctDNA before surgery were less likely to relapse and had improved overall survival rates than people with a high level of ctDNA.
The high sensitivity of the test meant …