We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Simple Blood Test to Advance Targeted Treatments for Childhood Cancer

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 03 Mar 2025
Print article
Image: The simple blood test could lead to smarter, kinder treatments for childhood cancers (Photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute)
Image: The simple blood test could lead to smarter, kinder treatments for childhood cancers (Photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute)

Researchers have developed a simple blood test that could offer deeper insights into childhood cancers, potentially leading to the development of more targeted and less toxic treatments.

A research team from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR, London, UK) has been working to create a less invasive method for tracking how childhood tumors evolve and respond to treatment. Recent findings from the Stratified Medicine Pediatrics (SMPaeds1) program, published in Cancer Discovery, show that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing can provide a more comprehensive view of how a tumor progresses over time. In the study, the team examined both childhood tumor samples taken at the initial diagnosis and ctDNA—fragments of tumor DNA found in the blood—during relapse to understand how tumors adapt after treatment. In certain cases, the test even detected additional DNA mutations that were not identified in the original tumor biopsy.

Since ctDNA testing only requires a blood sample, it is far less invasive than a traditional tumor biopsy, which often requires a general anesthetic. These findings are expected to advance the understanding of why some tumors relapse or fail to respond to treatment, with the ultimate goal of developing more effective, targeted therapies. The second phase of the research program (SMPaeds2) is now underway, with plans to further refine and explore new tests building on the success of the first phase. SMPaeds2 will focus on blood cancers and solid tumors in children and young people, including those affecting the brain, muscle, and bone, which are often more difficult to diagnose and treat.

“We showed that ctDNA analysis can add valuable information and that in some patients it can detect additional DNA mutations that are in the tumor but were missed by tumor biopsy,” said study author Dr. Sally George, Group Leader of the Developmental Oncology group at ICR. “SMPaeds1 is the largest study with matched ctDNA and tissue sequencing to date and shows the value of ctDNA testing for children with cancer. We are working with colleagues across Europe to transition ctDNA analysis from being a research test to being available clinically. The project also identifies DNA mutations that become enriched at relapse. This will help us prioritize future research to understand why those mutations are enriched and if we can develop new treatments to target cancers with those mutations.”

Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Alpha-Fetoprotein Reagent
AFP Reagent Kit
New
Creatine Kinase-MB Assay
CK-MB Test

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Professor Nicole Strittmatter (left) and first author Wei Chen stand in front of the mass spectrometer with a tissue sample (Photo courtesy of Robert Reich/TUM)

Mass Spectrometry Detects Bacteria Without Time-Consuming Isolation and Multiplication

Speed and accuracy are essential when diagnosing diseases. Traditionally, diagnosing bacterial infections involves the labor-intensive process of isolating pathogens and cultivating bacterial cultures,... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The new algorithms can help predict which patients have undiagnosed cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Advanced Predictive Algorithms Identify Patients Having Undiagnosed Cancer

Two newly developed advanced predictive algorithms leverage a person’s health conditions and basic blood test results to accurately predict the likelihood of having an undiagnosed cancer, including ch... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.