BLOOD DNA testing could predict whether cancer will spread, scientists say.
Nine years of studies funded by £14million from Cancer Research UK reveal lung tumour changes appear to indicate if they are aggressive and likely to spread in future.
Tackling them as fast as possible will boost survival rates.
Early stage growths are easier to treat and contain but cancer that has spread is nearly always incurable and often deadly.
Top doctor at Cancer Research, Professor Charles Swanton, said: “Cancer is not static and the way we treat patients shouldn’t be either.
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“We can observe how the tumour is likely to evolve over time, spread and respond to treatment, offering hope to millions of patients in the future.”
Tests of the genes in 421 lung cancer patients’ tumours revealed that constantly changing genes help them to grow and spread.
More mutations – and some specific ones – warned doctors the cancer was more likely to come back after treatment or to spread through the body.
Experts said the same technique should work for other cancers, too.
Research director at CRUK, Dr Iain Foulkes, added: “A blood test that reads DNA could let doctors track someone’s cancer in real time, allowing them to personalise treatments.
“Currently, the best option we have to monitor a patient’s tumour is to extract tissue either through a biopsy or during surgery, which are both invasive and time-consuming.
“Blood tests would allow doctors to treat people more proactively, taking swift action to change a treatment plan that’s not working.”
The studies were published in the journals Nature and Nature Medicine.