Doctors hail a ‘revolution in cancer treatment’

American researchers say they have come up with a new blood test capable of detecting one cancer cell among a billion healthy ones.

They say it allows doctors to track the spread of cancers as well as measure the success of a given treatment more quickly.

Dr. Christopher Logothetis of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center explains who would be most likely to benefit from the new test:
“It would be most helpful for patients with prostate, bladder, colon, kidney and lung cancer in addition to breast cancers. In many ways it serves as a liquid biopsy.”

By finding out faster whether or not a certain anti-cancer drug is working during a patient’s make-or-break months, the treatment can be adapted more effectively, which could make the crucial difference.

Drugs firm Johnson and Johnson, which is leading the development of the test, say it could be widely available within five years.

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