Blood test developed to predict response to prostate cancer therapy

UK scientists have developed a simple new blood test that can be used to identify patients who will benefit most from the use of targeted prostate cancer treatment.

A team from the Institute of Cancer Research in London have analysed blood samples from 265 men with advanced prostate cancer who were being treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide, either before or after docetaxel chemotherapy.

Men in whom a blood test detected multiple copies of the androgen receptor gene were shown to be four times more likely to die over the course of the study than those who did not, as well as being having an eightfold shorter response to treatment than men with one or two copies of the gene.

Using a blood test to check their genetic status means these men could be spared treatments that are unlikely to work for them, allowing doctors to move straight to exploring alternative options instead.

Dr Gerhardt Attard, team leader at the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "Our method costs less than 50 pounds, is quick to provide results, and can be implemented in hospital laboratories across the NHS. We are now looking to assess our test in prospective clinical trials."

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