Zurich [Switzerland], The likelihood of successful cancer treatment increases with early detection. Almost all types of cancer are covered by this. Evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each type of therapy individually and periodically monitoring treatment results are also essential components of effective patient care.
Oncologists have several techniques at their disposal to achieve this, including the use of imaging equipment and invasive procedures including punctures, tissue sampling, and endoscopic procedures.
Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) and University Hospital Zurich (USZ) have recently developed an improved technique, a kind of liquid biopsy that examines blood samples instead of organs or tissues.
The method sequences and analyzes DNA fragments circulating in patients' blood. "Our method can be used in the future for risk assessment, treatment monitoring during follow-up and early detection of cancer recurrence, in principle for all tumor types," says Zsolt Balazs, co-author of the study in the UZH. Department of Quantitative Biomedicine.
Since the method is based on blood samples, it is less invasive than performing, for example, tissue biopsies. In addition, taking blood samples is quick and more practical in the hospital's daily life, since fewer appointments are needed for diagnostic interventions, which avoids long waits for those affected.
The new method of analyzing liquid biopsies may help oncologists more accurately determine tumor activity and spread. This will allow them to develop therapies tailored to individual patients. "We can see earlier and more quickly how much the cancer has spread in the body and how well a patient responds to a specific treatment, or whether there will be a relapse," said Zsolt Balazs.
In the lab, researchers analyzed gene fragments circulating in the blood for changes in DNA that are characteristic of the specific type of cancer. The method analyzed alterations in the number and length distribution of the fragments. "The liquid biopsy technique allows us to discriminate between biologically less aggressive and more aggressive metastatic cancer, perhaps even sooner than using imaging technology," said co-author Panagiotis Balermpas, professor at the USZ Department of Radiation Oncology.
The researchers tested their method on patients undergoing radiation therapy, including several HPV-positive patients. HPV stands for human papillomavirus, which can also cause cancer. The amount of HPV DNA fragments found in the blood allowed the researchers to observe the development of the tumors. For head and neck cancer, they found that a higher concentration of HPV DNA could be an early sign of cancer recurrence, which could be targeted by immunotherapy.
"The more a tumor metastasizes, the worse the patient's quality of life. This also applies to local recurrences that are not detected early. It is key that we individualize treatment to the extent possible, taking into account the potential benefits of all therapies, as well as their influence on the patient's quality of life," concluded Balermpas, who supervised the treatment of patients with head and neck tumors in the study.
Oncologists have several techniques at their disposal to achieve this, including the use of imaging equipment and invasive procedures including punctures, tissue sampling, and endoscopic procedures.
Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) and University Hospital Zurich (USZ) have recently developed an improved technique, a kind of liquid biopsy that examines blood samples instead of organs or tissues.
The method sequences and analyzes DNA fragments circulating in patients' blood. "Our method can be used in the future for risk assessment, treatment monitoring during follow-up and early detection of cancer recurrence, in principle for all tumor types," says Zsolt Balazs, co-author of the study in the UZH. Department of Quantitative Biomedicine.
Since the method is based on blood samples, it is less invasive than performing, for example, tissue biopsies. In addition, taking blood samples is quick and more practical in the hospital's daily life, since fewer appointments are needed for diagnostic interventions, which avoids long waits for those affected.
The new method of analyzing liquid biopsies may help oncologists more accurately determine tumor activity and spread. This will allow them to develop therapies tailored to individual patients. "We can see earlier and more quickly how much the cancer has spread in the body and how well a patient responds to a specific treatment, or whether there will be a relapse," said Zsolt Balazs.
In the lab, researchers analyzed gene fragments circulating in the blood for changes in DNA that are characteristic of the specific type of cancer. The method analyzed alterations in the number and length distribution of the fragments. "The liquid biopsy technique allows us to discriminate between biologically less aggressive and more aggressive metastatic cancer, perhaps even sooner than using imaging technology," said co-author Panagiotis Balermpas, professor at the USZ Department of Radiation Oncology.
The researchers tested their method on patients undergoing radiation therapy, including several HPV-positive patients. HPV stands for human papillomavirus, which can also cause cancer. The amount of HPV DNA fragments found in the blood allowed the researchers to observe the development of the tumors. For head and neck cancer, they found that a higher concentration of HPV DNA could be an early sign of cancer recurrence, which could be targeted by immunotherapy.
"The more a tumor metastasizes, the worse the patient's quality of life. This also applies to local recurrences that are not detected early. It is key that we individualize treatment to the extent possible, taking into account the potential benefits of all therapies, as well as their influence on the patient's quality of life," concluded Balermpas, who supervised the treatment of patients with head and neck tumors in the study.
