Blood Test Predicts Treatments for Lung Cancer Patients

Traditionally, lung cancer diagnosis has relied solely on lung biopsies, an invasive procedure which many patients are too unwell to tolerate. A simple test, which can detect gene mutations in tumor DNA from blood samples, is giving new choices to lung cancer patients with faster diagnosis and improved access to life changing drugs.

Latest statistics from Cancer Research UK show there were 46,400 new cases of lung cancer, the third most common cancer in the UK, in 2014. The new test is a true gatekeeper for molecular therapies targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) abnormalities and identifies with fast turnaround patients eligible for targeted therapy, sparing them chemotherapy and the associated side effects.


The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB, Birmingham, UK) has introduced the test to its renowned cancer diagnostics laboratory. The new testing service gives more patients access to life-saving treatments with fewer side effects than classic chemotherapy, improving quality of life for patients. The test is highly specific and its results can be used to predict a patient’s response to treatment, allowing doctors to rapidly prescribe tailored treatments in line with NHS England’s goal to ensure personalised treatment and care for everyone diagnosed with cancer.

The cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 CE-IVD identifies the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in the DNA from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and is intended for use as an aid in selecting patients with NSCLC for therapy with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). This innovative assay is the first to utilize plasma in addition to tissue as a sample type, thus removing common barriers to molecular testing, including surgery risks and sample availability. With clear, actionable results, the test gives clinicians the information needed to make confident treatment decisions.

The cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 CE-IVD comes with a new feature in the report called the Semi Quantitative Index, or SQI. This number is designed to represent the percent of mutation in the sample tested. If frequently testing for the EGFR mutation using the test, tracking the SQI value and identifying a trend may lead to the understanding of tumor progression, an option not available in other tests.

Phillipe Taniere, MD, PhD, a Consultant Histopathologist at UHB, said, “Identifying mutations in blood samples has historically been a challenge due to the low frequency of cancerous cells in the sample. However this new, powerful technology from Roche Diagnostics has made it possible to take a simple blood sample and rapidly identify EGFR mutations in tumors’ DNA.”

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University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust