With a tablespoon of blood, BC researchers aim to transform cancer treatment

Researcher Vancouver Prostate Center When BC Cancer Has developed a new blood test that provides unprecedented insight into the composition of a patient’s cancer. This may allow physicians to better select treatment options that improve patient outcomes.

This technique is outlined in a study published today. Nature..

The first blood test of this type analyzes the DNA that metastatic cancer releases into the bloodstream. It is known as circulating tumor DNA or ctDNA. By sequencing the entire genome of this ctDNA, the test reveals the unique characteristics of each patient’s cancer and provides physicians with new tools for developing more personalized treatment plans.

“With just a few drops of blood, we can reveal important information about a person’s overall illness and the best ways to manage their cancer,” says senior author Dr. Alexander Wyatt, Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Senior Research Scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Center. “This test may help clinicians select more appropriately tailored treatment options and detect treatment resistance more efficiently, allowing clinicians to adjust clinical care as needed. will do so.”

For studies partially funded by donations to the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation and the BC Cancer Foundation, researchers examined ctDNA samples collected from patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread to other organs in the body) is often incurable, and chemotherapy and new targeted therapies may not be effective for all patients. Biopsies that help determine the best treatment for this type of cancer are rarely done because of its invasiveness and high risk of complications. This is often a major barrier to the study and treatment of this disease.

Researchers have found that the entire genome sequence of ctDNA performed at the Michael Smith Genome Science Center provides a great deal of information about the various metastases that spread throughout the body. Researchers have been able to use a newly developed computer program to identify the unique genetic makeup of different cancer populations in the body and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the disease.

“Metastatic cancers are complex and our understanding of them is limited,” says Dr. Wyatt. “While traditional biopsies provide only a few snapshots of the disease, this new test allows you to get a more complete picture of systemic metastases from a simple and easy-to-run blood test.”

Researchers also say that this information can help predict which treatments will be effective or ineffective in each patient.

“Every cancer is unique and every patient responds differently to treatment,” says Dr. Wyatt. “This new generation of ctDNA testing helps clinicians select treatment options that are most likely to benefit patients.”

New insights into treatment resistance

The number of cancer treatment options has expanded in recent years, but the general problem is that they will eventually fail. Drug resistance can develop over time as cancer cells accumulate molecular changes and become less sensitive to certain drugs and treatments.

The study was co-led by Dr. Kim Nguyen Chi, a medical oncologist and chief medical officer at BC Cancer, a senior research scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Center, and a professor at UBC School of Medicine. It sheds new light on how it happens. By collecting multiple ctDNA samples over time, they were able to learn how cancer evolves in response to treatment. The findings reveal a new genetic mechanism of resistance to the most common drugs for treating metastatic prostate cancer and broader ways to understand the treatment resistance of other types of cancer using ctDNA profiling. is showing.

“This test may help clinicians select more appropriately tailored treatment options and detect treatment resistance more efficiently, allowing clinicians to adjust clinical care as needed. will do so.”
Dr. Alexander Wyatt

“We can apply this technique to other types of cancer to understand how those tumors metastasize and ultimately avoid treatment,” said Dr. Wyatt. .. “It also helps design next-generation cancer therapies that target resistant diseases more effectively.”

Researchers say that this minimally invasive, relatively inexpensive and scalable technology is currently being rolled out throughout large clinical trials. This includes state-of-the-art precision oncology clinical trials in Canadian cancer patients at BC Cancer and Vancouver Prostate Center.