#3 Living Cancer Cell Liquid Biopsy for Non-Invasive Monitoring
Oncology Advancements: Top 10 of 2022
The Parsortix® system harvests cancer cells for analysis from a patient blood sample for repeat, non-invasive monitoring of patients from intact living cells rather than circulating tumor DNA from fragments of dead cells[1].
Why is this significant?
Unlike ctDNA, which is limited to DNA analysis and is the focus for most liquid biopsy industries, a full range of analyses can be undertaken with circulating tumor cells. We know that tumors change over time so liquid biopsies on dead cells are “legacy”. This has the ability to personalize care continuously to improve outcomes and reduce costs in a less invasive manner.
Why Could This Impact Care?
- For patients under active treatment, most drugs work for approximately 31% of them, while 69% of patients are given toxic drugs which do not actually benefit them[2].
- 66.7% of cancer patients die due to metastasis[3]. As a tumor metastasizes, it changes, requiring additional biopsies for confirmation if ctDNA is used.
- By using living cells, this can be avoided. An average cost for a metastatic biopsy is $16,000 vs an estimated cost of Parsortix of $100.
