A new generation of liquid biopsies can detect nanometer-sized signs of breast cancer in early patients

A team of scientists led by the University of Southern California found that a special blood test called a liquid biopsy can determine if a patient has early-stage breast cancer and whether the cancer is unlikely to recur
.

These high-resolution comprehensive liquid biopsies are performed
using standard blood extracted from the patient's arm in the doctor's office.
Once in the lab, the sample is checked for signs
of cancer.

The study, published September 27 in the journal npj Breast Cancer, demonstrates the detection
of early breast cancer by liquid biopsy results.
The work was done in collaboration with the University of Southern California, the Billings Clinic, Duke University, Epic Science, and the Norris Center for Comprehensive Cancer at the University of
Southern California.
The results offer hope that one day, doctors can detect breast cancer
in patients with simple blood draws.

Researchers at the Michelson Institute for Cancer Fusion Science at the University of Southern California (CSI-Cancer) are cautiously optimistic about their findings
.
They are eager to test to see if the results will be confirmed in larger clinical trials to prove that this approach is good
for patients around the world.

Peter Kuhn, a cancer physicist at the University of Southern California, said: "This is an amazing opportunity to change the way early breast cancer detection is done through simple blood draws, but for now this is just a study and we also need to prove clinical benefits
.
"

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world, affecting
1 in 8 women in their lifetime.

Since the American Cancer Society endorsed the technique in 1976, X-ray mammogram, along with tissue biopsy, has become the standard method
for doctors to check if a patient has breast cancer.

But mammograms are not 100% accurate, and its detection can be hampered
by healthy dense tissue.
According to the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, mammograms are about 87 percent
sensitive to breast cancer.
Mammography is not available for some women, especially those living in poor, isolated communities without clinics or hospitals
.
Still others don't have regular mammograms at all
.

But tissue biopsy is not a foolproof approach either
.
While it can reveal information about tumors, it also has limitations
.
Doctors can only take a sample in a small area and may not be able to capture the full extent of
the tumor.
Tissue biopsy is also invasive and painful
.

Taken together, the drawbacks of mammogram and tissue biopsy diagnosis mean that some patients are not diagnosed until the cancer grows and
spreads.
New methods, such as liquid biopsy from CSI-Cancer, can bring a complementary toolset
to clinical practice.

For the study, Kuhn and his team studied 100 breast cancer patients (some early and advanced) and 40 patients without breast cancer from April 2013 to January 2017
.
The work was conducted
at clinical sites such as the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medical at the University of Southern California, the Billings Clinic in Montana, the Duke University Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina, and the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.

The team tested a theory that high-definition liquid biopsies could detect a variety of cancer biomarkers, including so-called "cancer particles" — nano-sized membranous carriers that provide a rich physical environment
for cancer growth.
These cancer particles are secreted by cancer cells, as the previous research team demonstrated
.

"We found that the vast majority of patients with early-stage breast cancer have very high levels of these small bodies," said Kuhn, dean professor and cancer physicist
at USC's Dornsif College of Arts and Sciences.
"They are about 5-10 microns in
diameter.
Approximately the size of
a cell.
About a year and a half ago, we first identified these large vesicles in prostate cancer and showed that they are linked to
cancer.
They are hiding under their noses
.
”

If further research yields similar results, he said, it could mean that the next generation of high-definition liquid biopsies could become a diagnostic tool
for early-stage breast cancer and other cancers.
The test can also tell patients who have received cancer treatment that they are likely not to develop cancer
.

"Usually, I'm a carrier of bad news
.
I said, 'You have cancer in your blood,' Kuhn said
.
"But tests like this can offer hope that if there are signs of cancer, we can detect it very early and improve treatment and survival
.
"