CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
May 20, 2015—The Association for Molecular Pathology recently published a special article that provides a thorough overview of research to date on the minimally invasive “liquid biopsy” approaches to cancer diagnostics. Read it.
“As a group of molecular diagnostic experts, we were intrigued and excited by the emerging technologies that are likely to find utility in patient management,” Milena Cankovic, PhD, of the Henry Ford Health System and past AMP Clinical Practice Committee member, said in an AMP statement. “We set out to review and compile the leading research literature as a primary reference source for continued exploration.” Dr. Cankovic was co-author of the study (Gold B, et al. J Mol Diagn. 2015;17[3]:209—224. doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2015.02.001).
More than 200 studies are cited in the paper, providing a substantial digest of research so far.
“Our literature survey concluded that measuring circulating tumor cell burden in metastatic breast and prostate cancer has already crossed a prognostic threshold for clinical utility. That’s why the FDA cleared a device for this purpose. It’s likely that several other analytes, like circulating tumor DNA, will meet this threshold in the next few years,” said the study’s first author, Bert Gold, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute.
In general, the article supports the notion that this type of diagnostic testing in and of itself allows for earlier diagnosis, faster and more targeted treatment, reduced costs, and increased quality of life and even increased lifespan for the patient. The article also includes recommendations for future trials that will ultimately lead to demonstrating the clinical utility of the referenced minimally invasive approaches.