What if a simple blood test could tell your doctor everything they needed to know to personalize your cancer treatment?
That’s the goal Dr Julia Burnier, a CCS-funded researcher at McGill University, is working toward with a new type of test called a liquid biopsy.
“We are in an era of targeted therapies – moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and moving towards giving the right treatment at the right time,” says Dr Burnier. Her work aims to offer better ways of deciding what treatments are needed, and when.
“One of the challenges is that cancer is constantly evolving and changing. Traditional biopsies are invasive, costly and only give us a static view of a patient’s disease. Liquid biopsy fills this gap – offering a non-invasive alternative that can be repeated over time.”
Traditional biopsies involve surgery to remove pieces of tissue from the tumour to study. Liquid biopsies use samples of blood, saliva or urine instead. Because these samples are easier to collect, the procedure is faster and more comfortable for the people who receive it. It also carries less risk because there’s no need for surgery.
“Using these samples, we can detect cancer-related biomarkers like cancer cells or the DNA that comes from those cells,” Dr Burnier explains. “This approach enables earlier detection, real-time monitoring of treatment response and better understanding of how cancer changes over time. All of this can lead to more personalized and effective care.”
Dr Burnier’s goal is to make liquid biopsies better by understanding how tumour DNA changes in response to treatment. That way, people who are in treatment for cancer can have regular blood tests to check their progress and change treatments if needed. With tissue biopsies, this is more difficult – sometimes even impossible.
“As a cancer patient who had to undergo multiple biopsies the idea of a painless liquid biopsy with zero downtime for healing and zero chance of infection or complications would be a game changer for so many patients,” says Jennifer Coish, a patient advocate and CCS Act Lead. “All too often, patients have to wait multiple weeks for pathology to come back on their samples. By doing liquid biopsies, we could save time, money and invasive procedures for cancer patients who already face enough challenges in today’s healthcare system.”
Thanks to advances in techniques and technologies, we can detect tiny fragments of tumour DNA more sensitively than ever. This means we can spot evidence of “molecular disease” – cancer that can’t be detected on imaging but can cause a recurrence. Detecting molecular disease early means it can be treated before it progresses.
“By understanding disease at this molecular level in real time, we can customize – or personalize – treatment,” Dr Burnier explains. “This means we give only the treatment needed when it’s needed. This will improve care but also have significant impact on quality of life of those living with cancer.”
Research funding is becoming more and more difficult to obtain. We need to work together to supplement government funding to push science and medicine forward.