Granada incorporates liquid biopsy in the diagnosis and monitoring of lung cancer
This non-invasive technique allows to know in real time the evolution of the patient and his disease, personalizing the treatment.
The molecular biology laboratory of the Provincial Unit of Pathological Anatomy of Granada, located in the San Cecilio Clinical University Hospital, has recently incorporated liquid biopsy to improve the diagnosis and follow-up of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Through the implementation of this technique, the presence of certain mutations in patients with this type of cancer can be evaluated, achieving greater personalization in care and treatment.
Liquid biopsy makes it possible to determine in real time the presence of tumor markers in body fluids (blood, for example) in a relatively simple and non-invasive way for the patient. With his incorporation, explains Javier López Hidalgo, section chief of the Provincial Pathological Anatomy Unit and researcher of the group A04-Digestive System. Cancer. Nephropathies of the ibs.GRANADA, "we can always count on samples to perform periodic analyzes and identify the genetic variations that tumor cells may experience, since obtaining blood from the patient is much more feasible than having sufficient tissue representative of the tumor."
In this way, López Hidalgo points out, “we solve one of the great limitations that we had when making the diagnosis of advanced cancer patients, since we can have enough samples to carry out a correct follow-up of each case, something that did not happen with the samples obtained through a traditional biopsy ». It is estimated that a hundred Granada patients with this type of cancer can benefit, each year, from the incorporation of this new technique.
In addition, liquid biopsy allows us to respond to another of the great difficulties in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: knowing the evolution of the tumor and the change in its genetic characteristics. Thanks to the high availability of samples and the performance of periodic analyzes, it is possible to know in real time the evolution of the patient and their disease, avoiding overtreatment and detecting the development of possible resistance to it.
The incorporation of liquid biopsy in the diagnosis and treatment of this type of lung cancer is the result of the combined efforts of the Granada Inter-Center Pathological Anatomy Unit (composed of San Cecilio, Virgen de las Nieves, Santa Ana and Baza) , the Oncology units of the Virgen de las Nieves Hospital and San Cecilio Clinic and the GENyO research center. In the development of its protocol, the standards approved by both Scientific Societies and the main competent national and international organizations have been followed.
Advancement in the field of Precision Medicine
With this initiative, progress is being made towards precision medicine, a field in which important work is carried out from Granada. Through it, work is done to identify the state of the disease in each patient in a very personalized way. This, according to María José Serrano, a researcher at GENyO, “is very important in pathologies such as cancer that are characterized by their heterogeneity both between different patients and within the same patient. Thus, in cancer patients we usually detect different cell subpopulations that respond differently to the efficacy of the treatment ”.
For this reason, given this heterogeneity of cancer, "it is essential to develop precision medicine techniques that allow us to respond better and more accurately to the therapeutic needs of cancer patients," says Serrano.
A Unit in a continuous process of improvement
The Provincial Intercentres Unit of Pathological Anatomy of Granada, located in the facilities of the San Cecilio Clinical University Hospital, continues to advance in the modernization of its services. After completing its one hundred percent digitization process, it is considered the first fully digitized in Spain.
This process has made it possible to create a digital pathological anatomy diagnosis network between the hospitals of Granada: San Cecilio, Virgen de las Nieves, Santa Ana (Motril) and Baza, which facilitates immediate consultation, in real time, of cases between laboratories, as well as like telecommuting. In this network, all the information about the cases and the digital image are integrated into a single database, being able to access them regardless of the location of the slides and the pathologist responsible for the diagnosis.
New strategy of the Andalusian plan against cancer 2021-2025
The incorporation of liquid biopsy to the approach to this type of cancer is in line with the update of the Andalusian strategic plan against cancer that the Ministry of Health and Families has promoted and that will be developed in the coming years (2021-2025). Precisely, early detection and speeding up the diagnosis of oncological pathology are two of the priority objectives pursued by the plan.
Likewise, the humanization of care and differentiated oncological assistance for adults and minors or the improvement of information, documentation and epidemiology systems, are other of the main lines of action contemplated in the document, coordinated by the General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Management, which has also had the methodological support of IAVANTE from the Progreso y Salud Foundation.
A total of five groups formed by more than 45 experts from different specialties such as oncology, hematology, pediatrics, pathological anatomy, radiation oncology, nursing and patient associations, from the entire autonomous community, have been in charge of developing the new strategy . In it, objectives are set that are adapted to the needs of the autonomous community, establishing improvement actions and specific indicators.