Take your health into your own hands

Take your health into your own hands

Take your health into your own hands

Early diagnosis of breast cancer with liquid biopsy: now you can

blood samples
With 2.1 million new diagnoses worldwide in 2018, breast cancer is the most prevalent neoplasm in the female population globally, but also the one that can be cured best, often definitively and with nondemolishing methods, especially if it is diagnosed early, when it is still very small and not very aggressive. For this reason, regular breast self-examination and, starting at age 45-50, mammography every two years are recommended for all women to detect any minute masses that are not perceptible by touch but are already potentially risky, to be biopsied and then subjected to histological and molecular analysis to characterize them precisely and identify optimal treatment. In the near future, this already highly efficient approach may be enriched with new noninvasive diagnostic system based on the analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), i.e., DNA fragments released into the bloodstream from aged and destroyed breast cancer cells. The ctDNA can be obtained by a simple blood draw and analyzed by an extremely precise and rapid sequencing technique called NGS (Next Generation Sequencing), aimed at detecting certain genetic mutations that are distinctively present in the DNA of breast cancer cells. The first data supporting the clinical utility of this method, termed “liquid biopsy,” come from a pilot study, coordinated by researchers at the University of Málaga (Spain), which compared the diagnostic sensitivity of the new ctDNA test before classical tissue biopsy with that of molecular analysis after classical tissue biopsy, using mutations in the PIK3CA and TP53 genes as markers. The evaluation resulted in identifying identical mutations in 8 of the 29 patients considered (27.6%): four in TP53 and five in PIK3CA. In addition, analysis with NGS on ctDNA revealed four additional genetic mutations (three in TP53 and one in PIK3CA), which had not been reported by molecular analysis of breast tissue taken by classical biopsy: which underscores the high sensitivity of “liquid biopsy” at an early stage. One of these patients had mutations in both genes under consideration. The likelihood of testing positive for markers on ctDNA examined with NGS was higher in women who were younger, had larger tumor masserella and higher imaging scores on mammography (indicative of a higher probability of actually having cancer). At the moment, the new test is still being evaluated and not available in clinical practice, but if upcoming studies confirm the performance and diagnostic sensitivity highlighted the “liquid biopsy” may soon join the classical one in the early detection of breast cancer and, perhaps, one day supplant it. In this way, women with positive mammograms, but not necessarily breast cancer, could be prevented from having their suspected breast tissue harvested for diagnostic purposes.
Source: Rodriguez BJ et al. Detection of TP53 and PIK3CA Mutations in Circulating Tumor DNA Using Next-Generation Sequencing in the Screening Process for Early Breast Cancer Diagnosis. J Clin Med 2019;8:1183-1207; doi:10.3390/jcm8081183

FEATURED SPECIALISTS

  • Profile picture of Dott. Flavio Della Croce
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Psychotherapists, Basic Doctors

    • Via Sacconi 1 - Borgonovo Val Tidone
    phone
  • Profile picture of Dott. Sandro Morganti
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Orthopedists, Basic Doctors, Osteopaths

    • Via Foligno 6 - Roma
    phone
  • Profile picture of Studio Medico San Pellegrino
    active 4 years, 6 months ago

    Sports Doctors, Basic Doctors

    Spread the word!

    Recommend this special

    doctor to a friend

    message phone house
    visit
    video
    consulting
    WhatsApp conferences
    and webinars
  • Profile picture of Dott.ssa Anna Puccio
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Gynecologists, Basic Doctors

    • Via Vincenzo Ponsati 69 - Volvera
    phone
  • Profile picture of Dr. Vittorio Margutti
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Orthopedists, Basic Doctors

    • Via Marco Simone Poli 1 - Guidonia Montecelio
    phone

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED PATHOLOGIES

Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) is a fairly common hormonal disorder among women of childbearing age, so defined because it is related to the presence at the

Amenorrhea

The term amenorrhea refers to the non-occurrence or absence of menstrual flow for a period of time of at least six consecutive months. In cases of “thinning” menstruation, for example,

Ovarian cysts

Ovarian cysts are hollow formations filled with fluid or other materials that may occasionally form within or on the surface of the ovaries at different times in a woman’s life,

Anorgasmia

Anorgasmia is the syndrome by which we refer to the difficulty in having orgasms even after normal sexual stimulation. The intensity and frequency of orgasms in women are variables that

Peyronie’s or curved penis disease

Peyronie ‘s disease is a condition resulting from an abnormality of the penis due to fibrous scar tissue that appears on the penis changing its shape during erection, which becomes

Salmonellosis

Salmonella infection or salmonellosis is a bacterial infection that affects theintestines. This bacterium inhabits the intestinal tract of animals andhumans and escapes to the outside with theexpulsion of feces. It

Prostatitis

The prostate is a chestnut-shaped gland, several centimeters in diameter, found only in men; it is located in front of the rectum, below the bladder, and surrounds the first part

Cystitis

The term cystitis refers to inflammation of the urinary bladder, in most cases resulting from a bacterial infection. The disorder is especially common among women, who tend to experience it

Benign prostatic hypertrophy

The prostate is a chestnut-shaped gland, several centimeters in diameter, found only in men; it is located in front of the rectum, below the bladder, and surrounds the first part

Bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies in adulthood in Western countries, especially in the male sex. In most cases, it develops from the cells lining the inner

FEATURED SPECIALISTS

  • Profile picture of Dr. Sergio Ettore Salteri
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Basic Doctors, Chiropractors, Posturologists

    • Via Vial di Romans 8 - Cordenons
    phone
  • Profile picture of Dr. Tiziana Volpe
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Gynecologists, Basic Doctors, Professional Counselor

    • Piazzale Jonio 50 - Roma
    phone
  • Profile picture of Dott.ssa Carmela Tizziani
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Coroner, Certifying Doctor, Basic Doctors

    • Via Gaetano Bruno 25 - Napoli
    phone
  • Profile picture of Dr. Francesca Marceddu
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Anesthesiologists, Basic Doctors

    • Via del Risorgimento 49 - Pirri
    phone
  • Profile picture of Dott.ssa Erminia Maria Ferrari
    active 4 years, 9 months ago

    Homeopathic Medicine, Basic Doctors, Pediatricians

    • Via San Carlo 3 - Castel Rozzone
    phone
NUTRITION AND DIET
 
NATURE, SPORTS, PLACES
 
CULTIVATING HEALTH
 
MENOPAUSE
 
MOM IN SHAPE
 
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
 
HEART SURGERY
 
MEDICINES AND MEDICAL DEVICES
 
PARENTING
 
THE CULTURE OF HEALTH
 
HEALTH UTILITIES
 
GENERAL MEDICINE
 
NATURAL MEDICINE, THERMAL
 
MIND AND BRAIN
 
NEUROVEGETATIVE DYSTONIA
 
WAYS OF BEING
 
HEALTH AND SOCIETY
 
HEALTHCARE AND PATIENTS
 
SEXUALITY
 
OLDER AGE
 
CANCERS
 
EMERGENCIES
 
NUTRITION AND DIET
 
NATURE, SPORTS, PLACES
 
CULTIVATING HEALTH
 
MENOPAUSE
 
MOM IN SHAPE
 
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
 
HEART SURGERY
 
MEDICINES AND MEDICAL DEVICES
 
PARENTING
 
THE CULTURE OF HEALTH
 
HEALTH UTILITIES
 
GENERAL MEDICINE
 
NATURAL MEDICINE, THERMAL
 
MIND AND BRAIN
 
NEUROVEGETATIVE DYSTONIA
 
WAYS OF BEING
 
HEALTH AND SOCIETY
 
HEALTHCARE AND PATIENTS
 
SEXUALITY
 
OLDER AGE
 
CANCERS
 
EMERGENCIES
 
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
 
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
 
UROGENITAL SYSTEM
 
HEART AND CIRCULATION
 
SKIN
 
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
 
EYES
 
EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT
 
BONES AND LIGAMENTS
 
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
 
NERVOUS SYSTEM
 
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
 
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
 
UROGENITAL SYSTEM
 
HEART AND CIRCULATION
 
SKIN
 
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
 
EYES
 
EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT
 
BONES AND LIGAMENTS
 
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
 
NERVOUS SYSTEM
 

your advertising
exclusively ON
MY SPECIAL DOCTOR

complete the form and you will be contacted by one of our managers