A new study presented at the ESMO Congress 2019 shows that a sophisticated blood test to pick up circulating tumor DNA could soon help avoid having to take a tissue biopsy in some patients with lung cancer. A tissue biopsy is typically required to decide on appropriate treatment. Instead, the findings of the BFAST trial focused on the usefulness of ‘liquid biopsy’ in this situation. This means drawing a blood sample to look for traces of tumor DNA shed from tumor cells into the bloodstream and analyzing them to understand the tumor characteristics…..more
Lung cancer may soon be picked up by a blood test
