Experimental Blood Test May Help Identify Prostate Cancers That Are Unlikely To Respond To Treatment With Newer Hormonal Therapies.

reports that “an experimental blood test showed promise for identifying prostate cancers that were unlikely to respond to treatment with newer hormonal therapies, according to” research presented at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Investigators found that individuals “with tumor cells that varied widely in appearance and genetic make-up on the test, described as a ‘liquid biopsy,’ had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 5 months when treated with abiraterone (Zytiga) or enzalutamide (Xtandi) compared with 17 months for patients whose tumor cells had more consistent characteristics.” Additionally, “tumor-cell heterogeneity...correlated with overall survival (OS).” http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/MGUCS/55551