A great piece sent in by my very good friend Sue....
•
Researchers discovered new
method of spotting tumour cells in the blood
•
Rapid treatment is vital for men with more aggressive
forms of the disease
•
Until now doctors had no reliable way of telling which
men are most at risk
•
Some 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in
the UK each year
A blood test that identifies the deadliest forms of
prostate cancer could save thousands of men from unnecessary treatment while
ensuring rapid attention for those whose lives are at risk.
The new method of spotting tumour cells in the blood,
discovered by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, is in its early
stages.
But if initial findings based on tests on 80 samples
from men with prostate cancer are confirmed in bigger studies, it could
revolutionise treatment.
Some 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in
the UK each year but the severity of the disease varies hugely.
Rapid treatment is vital for those with more
aggressive forms of the disease, which kills 11,300 men each year.
But if it stays in the prostate and does not spread,
it is often best to offer no treatment, an approach known as ‘active
surveillance’.
Yet until now doctors have had no reliable way of
telling which men are most at risk. Up to 30,000 have a localised, low-grade form of the
disease that has yet to spread beyond the prostate. But because there is no reliable way to tell how
severe it is, about two thirds of them undergo gruelling treatment including
radiotherapy, surgery or both. This can have severe side effects including
impotence, incontinence and bowel problems.
In future, testing for circulating prostate cancer
cells could help doctors identify high-risk patients who may need radical intervention
and spare those at low risk from unnecessary treatment.
The sensitive tests would pick up minute strands of
DNA shed by a tumour as it grows. It is one of the first in a battery of
‘liquid biopsies’ that experts think will revolutionise the treatment of
cancer.
This approach – called ‘precision medicine’ – enables
doctors accurately to target cancers according to their genetic make-up, to
closely monitor tumours as they mutate and evolve, and to switch drugs if
cancer becomes resistant to a certain treatment.
Rapid treatment is vital for those with more
aggressive forms of prostate cancer, which kills 11,300 men each year.
Lead scientist Dr Yong-Jie Lu, from Queen Mary’s Barts
Cancer Institute, said: ‘Our research shows the number of these specific cells
in a patient’s sample is a good indicator of prostate cancer spreading.
‘By identifying these cells, which have gained the
ability to move through the body, we have found a potential new way to monitor the
disease.
‘If we’re able to replicate these studies in larger
groups of people, we may be able to one day predict the risk of someone’s
cancer spreading so they can make more informed treatment decisions.’
The findings were presented at a conference of the
National Cancer Research Institute in Liverpool.
Dr Iain Frame, of Prostate Cancer UK, said: ‘This
research adds to our understanding of what might make prostate cancer cells
tick but it’s incredibly early days.
‘A blood test which could detect an aggressive cancer
and how best to treat it would be the ultimate goal, but a lot more research is
needed before we get there.’
PUBLISHED: 00:11 GMT, 4
November 2016 |
UPDATED: 00:52 GMT, 4
November 2016
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