A Blood Test Could Replace Biopsy for Cancer Diagnosis

Last week, Eric Lim made a presentation at the World Conference on Lung Cancer that could revolutionize the process of cancer diagnosis. By far the most popular and reliable method of testing for cancer has been the use of biopsies. While reliable, biopsies are both invasive and expensive. As of 2014, the average biopsy ran upwards of $14,000. To alleviate some of the issues presented by relying strictly on biopsies for cancer screening, Eric Lim presented a study using blood tests to detect cancer in the body. When cancer cells die, DNA is released into the bloodstream. The current blood test can detect three cancer-specific gene mutations in the blood. Because there are varying gene mutations for each type of cancer, multiple tests will have to be created in order to screen for more types of cancer. As of right now, these blood tests are almost 70% accurate in predicting the presence of cancer cells. Until this percentage is higher, blood tests will not be seen as an alternative to the traditional biopsy.

Considering that patients often have to wait to see a specialist for their biopsy, I think that the use of a  quick blood test to test for cancer cells can be an extraordinary finding. Even though these tests are not able to stand on their own in the scientific community, I can't imagine it being very long before more and more doctors are using this method as a preliminary cancer screening before jumping to more traditional methods.

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