Cancer patients may be offered a new blood test to match them with experimental drugs

Cancer patients who have tried all available treatments may be offered a new blood test to match them up with experimental drugs.

The news follows a study which found that testing a small amount of a patient’s blood for faulty DNA enabled doctors to gather up to date genetic data about their tumour or cancer. This ‘DNA data’ can then be used to enrol patients onto clinical trials testing drugs that specifically combat their tumour.

In a trial which involved eleven patients, four of them saw their growths shrink as a result.

The research was undertaken by the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute and was led by Dr Matthew Krebs, a clinical senior lecturer in experimental cancer medicine and honorary consultant in medical oncology.

Speaking about the research, Dr Krebs said “Historically, patients who have exhausted other options but are still reasonably well might access a clinical trial based on their cancer type.

“But without that new therapy being targeted to their tumour’s particularly genetic profile. Now, that paradigm is shifting toward personalised medicine.

“By understanding the genetic faults underpinning a patient’s cancer from a blood test, as demonstrated in this study, this raises the hope of matching more patients to a specific targeted clinical trial treatment with better chance of benefit.”

The researchers hope the new blood test will be available on the NHS in the near future, to allow doctors to speedily refer patients onto suitable trials.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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