Experimental Blood Test Shows Promise in Early Breast Cancer Detection and Recurrence Prediction

One of the great hopes of cancer medicine over the past decade has been a simple blood test that would detect cancer at its earliest stages, help physicians choose the right treatment and even predict the risk of recurrence. Known as liquid biopsies, these tests work by identifying traces of cancer cells in the bloodstream. Although they are already used to tailor treatment for some patients, they still struggle to detect cancer early in the general population or predict whether the disease will return after treatment.