Blood test for cancer may replace the biopsy

I talked about the liquid biopsy a while ago and I’m interested in aparticular stock TROV which Ibelieve is one of the leading players in this new trend.  Of course, as with any new breakthrough technologies, it won’t be a smooth road for them to fight for their existence. They always face significant doubts and disbelief about their validity. But I’m a strong believer that new technologies will eventually replace old ones, as long as they truly bring in new advantages. While I’m not talking at all about a total replacement of the physical biopsy any time soon, I do firmly believe the liquid biopsy has a very extinct advantage for it to become more and more of a routine test in the future. Now we get more evidence to support just that. Here is what was recently reported in Time:



What’s more, the team of researchers, which also included scientists from University of California San Diego, also compared the blood-based results with those from a physical sample of the tumor obtained from a traditional biopsy within six months of the blood test. Among these patients, there was 98% agreement over the genetic results of which mutations were present.

Those findings are the strongest yet confirming the utility of such blood-based tests for cancer. Such liquid biopsies carry an advantage over physical biopsies since tumors are notoriously heterogeneous; cells from one part of the tumor may be different from cells from another, and biopsies typically only take cells from one part. Tumors also change over time, but repeated biopsies are not practical for safety as well as economic reasons. Blood-based testing, however, could track tumors over time and provide a better picture of how the cancer is changing, and how treatments might also have to change if the tumor is becoming resistant to an existing therapy.


Be aware, investing in early stage companies for new technologies is always associated with high risk and volatility for such stocks could be extremely high. For those who laugh at last, they must have the vision to identify the trend, the courage to pursue it, and the tenacity to stay with it. I hope I’m one of them and so are you!