Researchers said in The Lancet Oncology journal that tumour cells in a blood sample, when taken at an early stage of the disease, are an accurate predictor of a patient's survival chances. The more circulating tumour cells (CTCs) researchers found in the blood, the higher the risk of death.
The team conducted tests on 302 patients treated at the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Centre between February 2005 and December 2010. "For patients with a higher concentration of CTCs, the correlation with survival and progression rates was [...] dramatic, with 31% of these patients dying or relapsing," said a press release accompanying the study. According to Health24, the findings could help identify early-on which patients might benefit from additional treatment like chemotherapy.
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