Breast cancer can recur at any time after treatment, but in most cases this happens within the first few years. Breast cancer can recur either as a local tumor in the breast or as a distant recurrence somewhere else. The most frequent recurrence of breast cancer occurs in the bones, liver and lungs.
Breast cancer recurrence is an actual problem of oncology
The medical problem with breast cancer is that the presence of cancer recurrence is not immediately detected, and the likelihood of cancer recurrence is unknown. This issue remains relevant, therefore, more and more discoveries are made every year in modern medicine. But such a problem remains unresolved that there are still no tests and methods that would determine the occurrence of cancer recurrence after treatment.
New studies are being carried out that will later be able to predict the onset of recurrence of cancer cell growth by blood tests.
Breast cancer recurrence is predictable
The Institute for Cancer Research in the UK has done work that is the first step in controlling cancer recurrence and making the right decision about its treatment.
It turns out that you can detect the return of cancer cells by looking at the circulating DNA of the tumor cells that are in the blood cells. After all, these cells can provoke new tumor growth even after treatment.
The essence of the study is as follows: after surgery for oncological diseases, blood tests were regularly performed for 6 months. Thus, the researchers were able to predict with high accuracy which of the patients will have cancer recurrence. This study involved 55 women who were operated on for early stage breast cancer.
Identification of cancerous tumor cells using a blood test
It was found that blood tests that were positive for a measure of the circulating DNA of cancer cells were at 12 times the risk of recurrence. In addition, a blood test can show the risk of cancer recurrence 8 months before it, when nothing is clinically expressed.
The scientific manager of the study explained the purpose of the work as follows: “They are looking for ways to detect the DNA of cancer cells that were left behind by tumor cells in the bloodstream. They want to use this DNA to monitor the return of cancer. It is also possible to follow how changes in the body develop when a relapse occurs. This information can be used to prevent the cancer from recurring.”
In the future, a blood test will help prevent cancer recurrence
Currently, there are some problems in the implementation of this technology. But in the future, when the technology is put into operation, it will help to predict the recurrence of all subtypes of breast cancer.
"This test will help us stay one step ahead of breast cancer recurrence by monitoring its changes and providing timely treatment," said Professor Paul Workman, principal investigator of the study.
The main task of the test is to separate mutations that cause cancer from all other mutations that are present in human genes and do not pose a danger.
Recently, research has been reported that could reprogram cancer cells into normal cells in the future, opening the door to new possibilities in cancer treatment.
All hope for the future and for successful research that can solve the global problems of mankind.
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