Can a blood test identify cancer? That Cancer Conversation: Season 4, Episode 4

This entry is part 34 of 34 in the series That Cancer Conversation

What if our blood could help us detect cancer earlier than ever before?

In this episode, we’re asking the big questions around liquid biopsies, cutting-edge blood tests that can pick up the smallest signs of cancer swirling through the blood. We sit down with Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld, Director of Barts Cancer Institute and a pioneer in the field.

Professor Rosenfeld explains how fragments of tumour DNA enter our blood from cancer cells, what they can tell us about cancer, and how liquid biopsies can use blood samples to transform early detection, screening and treatment.

Cancer blood tests are much less invasive than surgical biopsies, and they can reveal what’s happening in the body in much more detail than scans. They’re most valuable when combined with other tools, but their potential is clear. Just as our blood flows through every part of our body, blood tests could reshape almost every part of cancer care.

Tune in to hear:

The ways tiny molecular hints about our health can end up in our blood
How circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in blood acts like warning flags from tumours anywhere in the body, giving a fuller picture than traditional biopsies
The different types of liquid biopsies that can be used to diagnose cancer, guide personalised treatment, check if any traces of cancer remain after therapy (called MRD, or minimal residual disease) and track changes as tumours evolve
What the NHS GALLERI trial, which uses a single blood test to screen 50 cancer types (including pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer) in people without symptoms, could mean for early cancer detection
What our blood might reveal about our future health, and how that might change the way we think

About our guest

Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld is the Director of Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), which is a key part of the Cancer Research UK City of London Centre. He’s also Professor of Applied Cancer Research at QMUL and the head of a lab that develops liquid biopsies for detecting and monitoring cancer.