Personal Injury Law

A blood test that may revolutionize cancer treatment

By Hurley, McKenna & Mertz

A possible revolution in cancer treatment is looming on the horizon with a blood test ?so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor's office.? (M. Marchione AP Medical, Boston, 1/2). As a Chicago medical malpractice attorney, I am intrigued by the possibilities this test presents, but am, as always, hopeful the necessary safety testing has been completed.

The test is particularly promising because ?stray cancer cells in the blood mean that a tumor has spread or is likely to.? Many doctors believe that a test that has the ability to capture such sells has the potential to ?transform care? for many cancers, especially breast, prostate, colon, and lung. The blood test has been described by some medical professionals as a ?liquid biopsy.?

Initially, doctors want to use the test as a predictor to determine ?what treatments would be best for each patient's tumor and find out quickly if they are working.? But ultimately, doctors hope the test will offer ?a way to screen for cancer besides the mammograms, colonoscopies and other less-than-ideal methods used now.?

Full post as published by Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog on January 05, 2011 (boomark / email).