Researchers have found that a liquid biopsy may help to predict whether patients with cancer may be at risk of developing venous thromboembolism, according to a recent study published by Jee et al in Nature Medicine.
Background
Liquid biopsy tests—such as MSK-ACCESS—increasingly play a role in diagnosing cancer and monitoring patients’ treatment responses. The tests also allow physicians to use blood samples to detect and study cancer-associated DNA from a solid tumor.
Venous thromboembolism is a common complication in patients with cancer and is the leading cause of poor treatment outcomes and mortality in those with advanced cancers.
Study Methods and Results
In this study, the researchers analyzed the blood samples of 6,030 patients who were receiving treatment for a variety of solid tumors. They then linked the blood samples to the patients’ clinical records.
Using data analysis and machine learning, the researchers found that patients with high levels of cancer DNA in their blood had a higher risk of developing venous thromboembolism compared with those who had low levels or no cancer DNA in their blood—regardless of other clinical factors that might suggest a higher risk of venous thromboembolism.
Conclusions
“This is [one of] the first large, pancancer studies to use MSK-ACCESS data and correlate [them] with clinical outcomes,” underscored lead study author Justin Jee, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Further studies [are] needed, but these tests may eventually help us to determine which patients are likely to benefit from blood thinners to prevent [venous thromboembolism],” he concluded.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit nature.com.
