A large prospective, randomized clinical trial in patients with advanced breast cancer has found that the use of liquid biopsy blood tests for early detection of a treatment-resistance mutation, followed by a switch to a new type of treatment, substantially extends the period of tumor control compared to standard care.
The SERENA-6 study, published June 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented concurrently at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, was conducted at multiple medical centers, principally in Europe, East Asia and the United States, including at Weill Cornell Medicine and three affiliated NewYork-Presbyterian campuses: NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. It is one of the first demonstrations that treatment switching guided by liquid biopsy results brings better outcomes for patients.
“The main message here is that liquid biopsy technology allows us to intervene sooner when the tumor burden is lower and the chance of a good outcome is higher,” said study co-author Dr. Massimo Cristofanilli, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and an oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
