Blood Test to Predict Breast Cancer Recurrence

Scientists have developed a simple blood test to predict whether the patient is completely free from breast cancer or at a higher risk of relapse.

The blood test particularly aims at helping women who underwent treatment of a specific type of breast cancer known as luminal A breast cancer, The Daily Mail reported.

For the study, researchers from The University of Alberta looked at 369 women with breast cancer who had received treatment shortly after diagnosis. Blood samples of these women were collected and tested. Of the total patients, 155 reported breast cancer recurrence (BCR) more than six years after diagnosis and treatment.

To reach a conclusion, researchers compared blood samples of breast cancer patients who were successfully treated and who had experienced BCR years after treatment. Researchers identified some genetic changes in the DNA samples, which can predict risks of breast cancer recurrence.

"If we can accurately predict which women are at high risk of breast cancer recurrence, it gives the physicians and oncologists treating these women time to design a more aggressive therapy in the hopes of preventing the cancer from coming back," Sambasivarao Damaraju, who was involved in the study, told Daily Mail. "Treatment strategies could be tailor-made for these women based on their genetic make-up and how susceptible it makes them to breast cancer recurrence."

Results of the study have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in the U.S. According to a latest estimate from the American Cancer Society, nearly 226,870 women are affected with invasive breast cancer and nearly 39,510 women die from breast cancer across the country.

Efforts have been going on for a long time to find out the factors that lead to this occurrence. Previous studies have shown a wide range of factors that increase the risks of breast cancer including adopting fertility treatments at a young age, working night shifts, large breast size, exposure to radiation before 30 years, giving birth to large babies (8.25 or more pounds) and insufficient sleep.