Developing effective ctDNA testing services for lung cancer

19 September 2017

Cancer care is changing. More personalised therapies are available, for a variety of cancers, which target tumours that harbour specific genetic mutations. To prescribe these therapies, a genetic test must be carried out on a tumour sample. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 30% of the biopsies to collect tumour tissue fail - these patients do not receive testing and potentially miss out on targeted therapy. New tests that analyse circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) are an alternative for these patients, increasing access to these therapies. But currently this technology is not in widespread use throughout the NHS and not all eligible patients receive testing

Authors: Laura Blackburn, Leila Luheshi, Sandi Deans, Mark Kroese, Hilary Burton