Early diagnosis of cancer is one of the greatest challenges of current medicine. The disease often goes unnoticed in its initial stage and our body begins to show symptoms when the disease is already advanced. However, new techniques are currently being developed aimed at detecting the first signs of the disease as soon as possible. This is the case of liquid biopsy. An emerging method that is proposed as a tool for early detection of cancer, even in apparently healthy and asymptomatic people. A new CaixaResearch Debate brings together three cancer researchers whose projects are supported by the CaixaImpulse Innovation program of the ”la Caixa” Foundation and who are working to advance the development of this new technique and facilitate its transfer to routine clinical practice.
This early detection tool consists of a test performed on a sample of blood, urine, or other body fluid with one goal: to look for cancer cells or small fragments of DNA, RNA, or other molecules that tumor cells release into body fluids. This type of biopsy represents a significant advance with respect to the traditional method of diagnosis through tissue biopsy, which requires extracting, through puncture, incision or surgery, samples of tumor tissue to study them in the laboratory.
To publicize the progress on this new diagnostic method, a new CaixaResearch Debate will take place on February 28 at 7 p.m. This online meeting open to the public will feature Olga Vera, junior principal investigator of the Experimental Therapies and New Biomarkers in Cancer research group at the Health Research Institute of the La Paz University Hospital (IdiPAZ) in Madrid; Lorena Diéguez, leader of the Medical Devices research group at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) of Braga and Cristina Saura, head of the Breast Unit at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and the Breast Cancer group at the Institute of Oncology Vall d'Hebron (VHIO) from Barcelona.
Tissue biopsy is invasive and uncomfortable and does not allow continuous monitoring of disease progress. On the other hand, the new method avoids discomfort for the patient and the results of the analyzes are ready in a few days. This time saving, in the case of cancer, is crucial. Furthermore, since taking fluid samples from the patient is a simple, safe and practically painless process, it can be repeated as many times as necessary to monitor the evolution of the disease.
Knowing better the biology and genetics of the tumor facilitates decision-making regarding treatment, which can be adapted to the specific characteristics of each cancer. Thus, thanks to liquid biopsy, oncologists can obtain very valuable information from its mere presence to whether a treatment is working or if it is generating resistance and should be changed. This technique has various applications that go beyond the mere detection of cancer in asymptomatic people; it is already being used to monitor mutations in patients with metastases and to refine the prognosis in patients who have undergone surgery.
One of the obstacles that hinder the implementation of this new technique is the complexity of detecting the possible biomarkers present in the blood. Cancer cells release exosomes into the blood that travel to other parts of the body. The team in which researcher Olga Vera participates, led by Dr. Inmaculada Ibáñez, has developed a test that facilitates the analysis of the content of exosomes, which allows the detection of biomarkers and facilitates the identification of patients with lung diseases that present risk. of developing lung cancer.
For its part, the team led by Dr. Lorena Diéguez is developing a system based on the liquid biopsy technique, called RUBYchip, which will allow oncologists to make a personalized diagnosis of each patient and choose the most appropriate therapy, monitor the evolution of the disease in an efficient and minimally invasive way, predict possible resistance to treatment and select a new therapeutic regimen with a greater probability of success.
Focused on women, the team co-led by Dr. Cristina Saura has focused on breast cancer that develops during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It is the most common cancer in women under 45 years of age, and it is usually diagnosed in advanced stages, which worsens its prognosis. In previous studies, the VHIO team has been able to demonstrate that the breast milk of breast cancer patients contains DNA derived from tumor cells. Based on this finding, the team will carry out a clinical trial with more than 5,000 women in which a test developed in their laboratory will be used. If the result is as expected, this new diagnostic system could be included in routine clinical practice.
The Cycle of Debates highlights the work of research and health professionals who receive aid from the ”la Caixa” Foundation through its Research Programs. Led by experts in scientific research, medicine and innovation, the debates have become a meeting point between society and science, a space in which to publicize the progress of health research and innovation projects. that seek to improve our quality of life.
