A new blood test, about to be tested in the United Kingdom, could revolutionize the therapeutic management of people with colorectal cancer.
The British press, and in particular our colleagues from the BBC and the Independent (Sources 1 and 2) evoke a strategy which could prevent thousands of patients from undergoing “unnecessary” chemotherapy.
Indeed, while the majority of patients with stage 3 colorectal cancer are offered post-surgery chemotherapy, this could prove to be unnecessary for many patients, for who the surgical approach might suffice. « Half of patients with stage 3 colorectal cancer are cured by surgery alone, so we over-treat a large proportion of patients “, declared Dr. Naureen Starling, researcher in charge of the clinical trial to evaluate this new blood test.
Entitled TRACC, this clinical trial includes 1,621 Britons with colorectal cancer, followed over 4 years. His goal: to answer robustly to the question of find out if we can spare patients unnecessary chemotherapy if they are negative for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after surgery “, Details the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London on its site dedicated to the test.
The purpose of the blood test is to search the bloodstream for the presence of circulating tumor DNA, genetic heritage from the cancerous tumor. Invisible via imaging, the circulating tumor DNA is then proof that the tumor has not been completely removed by the surgical approach. We speak of incomplete excision. Thus, if no tcDNA is found in a patient’s blood tests, this would mean that the surgery was enough to get rid of the tumor, and that a priori, post-surgery chemotherapy would be useless.
First results expected for early 2024
The clinical trial compare three-year survival rates from patients whose treatment was guided by the blood test to those patients who underwent intravenous chemotherapy in addition to surgery. Similar trials are underway in the UK for lung and breast cancer patients, the trial researchers said.
Resolutely enthusiastic, the research team in charge of the trial believes that such a blood test, if it proves to be effective, would a blessing both for the patientwhich will be avoided heavy treatment, only for hospital services and for the health system, which avoids costs. Preliminary results of the trial are expected in early 2024.