A recently published study assessing the use of pre- and post-surgical immunotherapy has raised significant hope for the use of the protocol, but a second aspect of the Phase II trial is also deserving of attention. In the face of challenges that the rare form of cancer poses for diagnosis and staging using traditional imaging scientists tested the use of an innovative blood test to detect circulating tumor DNA in patients’ blood.
Novel Approach Studies Circulating Tumor DNA In Mesothelioma Patients’ Blood
When diagnosing and treating patients with mesothelioma, the extent to which the tumor has spread in the patient’s body is one of the most important pieces of information that physicians need. Unfortunately, the unique ways that mesothelioma forms make that assessment a challenge. According to Dr. Joshua Reuss, a thoracic medical oncologist with Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Phase II study of immunotherapy also incorporated a test of a novel approach to diagnosis.
“Mesotheliomas don’t grow and spread like other cancers,” Reuss explains. “They don’t typically form solid masses or nodules. These tumors are more fluid, or diffuse throughout the lining of the lung. That makes it more difficult to use our usual methods to determine how extensive a tumor is or to measure whether a treatment is effective by standard imaging assessments.” To address this, the group tested a blood test that gauged circulating tumor DNA that tumors shed in the bloodstream.
Test Detects Microscopic Signs of Mesothelioma that Imaging Misses
The study’s senior author, Valsamo Anagnostou, MD, PhD, the Alex Grass professor of oncology and co-director of the Upper Aerodigestive Cancers Program at Johns Hopkins, explains the benefits that the blood test offers. “By using an ultra-sensitive genome-wide ctDNA sequencing method, we were able to detect microscopic signs of cancer that imaging missed and predict which patients were most likely to benefit from treatment or experience relapse.” Dr. Reuss said, “This approach may give us a baseline to monitor the efficacy of that treatment. If the ctDNA decreases or disappears, it is a good indication that the therapy is working. If not, it indicates a change in therapy may be warranted.”
Though the researchers said that the methodology requires further testing, they have concluded that it might make a significant difference in accurately deciding which mesothelioma patients will derive the greatest benefit from surgery.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, every discovery scientists achieve is a step toward a better future. For information on other resources available, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net at 1-800-692-8608.
