Researchers have found a way to analyze the fingerprint of a cancer, and then use that fingerprint to track the trajectory of that particular tumor in that particular person.
[This technique] will allow us to measure the amount of cancer in any clinical specimen as soon as the cancer is identified by biopsy, said study co-author Dr. Luis Diaz, an assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University. This can then be scanned for gene rearrangements, which will then be used as a template to track that particular cancer.
more...