Liquid biopsy may help diagnose and treat bladder and nerve tumors

Both studies were published in the August 31 issue of "PLOS Medicine", and this issue is devoted to liquid biopsy
.

A study reported on urine biopsy to monitor the progress of bladder cancer
.

With easy-to-collect urine samples, doctors can determine whether the initial treatment eradicated the cancer or left some remnants of the disease

Aadel A.
Chaudhuri, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology and senior author of the two papers, said: "Our research shows that liquid biopsy can accurately diagnose and monitor tumors at different stages of the disease, thereby improving cancer management
.

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He said: “For bladder cancer, if a urine biopsy can detect whether early chemotherapy can completely eradicate the tumor, it can help some patients avoid major surgery to remove the bladder
.

For NF1, if we can distinguish cancerous tumors from cancer Before tumors, we have opened a door to early cancer detection under genetic conditions, making people more susceptible to cancer

If patients with bladder cancer have invaded the underlying muscles, they usually undergo chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, and then undergo surgery to remove the bladder
.

Cystectomy, including the removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles in men, and the removal of the uterus, ovaries, and part of the vagina in women, can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence

In this study, the researchers analyzed DNA found in the urine of healthy people and bladder cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
.

After chemotherapy and before cystectomy, scientists were able to identify residual tumor DNA in the urine of cancer patients, otherwise the DNA would not be detected

Although the test is not sensitive enough to guide treatment decisions, Chaudhuri said that this study paves the way for further improvements to the test to determine which patients can retain their bladder after chemotherapy
.

NF1 patients are susceptible to cancer, and peripheral nerve sheath tumors are the most common cause of death in such patients
.

These cancers usually originate from benign tumors, and it is often difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant forms of these tumors

Chaudhuri collaborated with clinical research scholars at the Children’s Oncology Division of the Cancer Research Center of the National Cancer Institute, and they jointly developed a method for analyzing blood samples’ DNA that can distinguish healthy individuals, NF1 patients with benign tumors, and malignant peripheral nerves.
NF1 patients with sheath tumors
.

DNA analysis is also related to the patient's response to treatment

In the future, liquid biopsy can help doctors determine when benign tumors in NF1 patients become malignant, and improve early cancer detection and early treatment for high-risk cancer patients
.

Although these two liquid biopsies prove the utility and versatility of the technique for very different tumors, Chaudhuri is expanding his team's research beyond cancer
.

Recently, he received a five-year grant worth US$1.

Pradeep S.

Jeffrey J.
Szymanski, R.
Taylor Sundby, Paul A.
Jones, Divya Srihari, Noah Earland, Peter K.
Harris, Wenjia Feng, Faridi Qaium, Haiyan Lei, David Roberts, Michele Landeau, Jamie Bell, Yi Huang, Leah Hoffman, Melissa Spencer, Matthew B.
Spraker, Li Ding, Brigitte C.
Widemann, Jack F.
Shern, Angela C.
Hirbe, Aadel A.
Chaudhuri.
Cell-free DNA ultra-low-pass whole genome sequencing to distinguish malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) from its benign precursor lesion: A cross-sectional study .
PLOS Medicine , 2021; 18 (8): e1003734 DOI: 10.
1371/journal.
pmed.
1003734