Blood test ‘could track breast cancer changes and help patients avoid biopsies’

Getty Images/Ilya Lukichev

By Storm Newton, PA

A simple blood test could match women with breast cancer to the right treatment without the need for a biopsy, as well as allowing medics to track the disease as it evolves, according to researchers.

Approximately 20% of advanced tumours switch subtype, resulting in treatment resistance. Known as Breast Circulating Methylation Assay (BCMA), the new blood test detects unique patterns in the tumour DNA circulating in a patient’s blood to pinpoint the exact breast cancer type.