Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Many people receive treatment such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiation before surgery to shrink tumors and improve outcomes.
While these treatments can be very effective, one of the biggest concerns for patients and doctors is whether the cancer will come back after treatment.
Now, a new study presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference and conducted by researchers from Institut Jules Bordet in Belgium and the Instituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Italy suggests that a simple blood test may help answer that question much earlier.
The study focused on something called circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA. This refers to tiny fragments of genetic material from cancer cells that can be found in the blood. Even when a tumor is no longer visible on scans, small amounts of cancer DNA may still remain in the body. These fragments can act as early warning signs that cancer might return.
The researchers followed 81 women with early-stage breast cancer. These patients had already received treatment before surgery, which is known as neoadjuvant therapy. Blood samples were taken at different stages, including before treatment, after treatment, and during long-term follow-up.
The results showed that ctDNA levels dropped significantly after treatment. However, some patients still had detectable ctDNA in their blood after therapy. These patients were much more likely to experience a return of cancer later on.
In fact, the study found that patients with ctDNA after treatment were about 3.5 times more likely to have their cancer come back compared to those without ctDNA. This remained true even when other factors such as age, tumor size, and cancer type were considered.
One important finding was that ctDNA could predict cancer recurrence even in patients whose tumors seemed to be completely gone after treatment. This means that traditional methods, such as imaging and pathology, may not always detect hidden cancer cells.
The study also found that ctDNA was more common in certain types of breast cancer, particularly hormone receptor-negative cancers. These types are often more aggressive and harder to treat, making early detection of recurrence especially important.
This research is important because it shows that ctDNA could be used to guide future treatment decisions. For example, patients with detectable ctDNA after treatment might benefit from additional therapy to reduce the risk of relapse. On the other hand, patients without ctDNA might avoid unnecessary treatments.
However, the researchers caution that ctDNA testing is not yet part of routine clinical practice. More studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether changing treatment based on ctDNA results actually improves patient outcomes.
Overall, this study represents an important step toward more personalized cancer care. Instead of using the same treatment approach for everyone, doctors may one day use simple blood tests to tailor treatments based on each patient’s risk.
While promising, the findings should be interpreted carefully. The study involved a relatively small number of patients, and more research is needed in larger and more diverse populations. In addition, it is still unclear how best to act on ctDNA results in clinical practice.
Even so, the idea of detecting cancer relapse months earlier through a blood test could greatly improve survival and quality of life. It offers hope for better monitoring and more targeted treatment in the future.
If you care about breast cancer, please read studies about how eating patterns help ward off breast cancer, and soy and plant compounds may prevent breast cancer recurrence.
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Source: Institut Jules Bordet.
