Blood test flags patients at-risk of cancer recurrence, death: Moffitt

Testing for blood-based DNA markers can help identify which colorectal patients face a higher risk of cancer recurrence of death, according to a study published Feb. 1 in Clinical Epigenetics. 

The study was led by researchers from Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center and focused on identifying which blood-based DNA markers — known as protein epiScores — were associated with worse outcomes among colorectal cancer patients. 

Here are three things to know from the study:

1. Researchers identified four protein epiScores strongly associated with worse outcomes among colorectal cancer patients. Patients with higher levels of those markers experienced a 60% to 70% greater risk of recurrence.
   
   Higher levels of one marker, LGALS3BP, were associated with an 80% increased risk of death among colorectal cancer patients. 
   

2. When accounting for cancer stage and patient age, prediction accuracy based on the protein epiScores increased from 64% to 70% for cancer recurrence, and from 70% to 75% for overall survival.
   
   
3. “While the approach requires validation in additional patient populations, the results demonstrate the potential of using a simple blood draw taken before treatment to refine risk assessment in colorectal cancer,” according to a Feb. 9 news release from Moffitt Cancer Center.

Read the full study here.