On the 20th of August 2019, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, one of our UK members stressed the importance of rebiopsying Lung Cancer.
They spoke to their research fellows, Dr Mike Davis of The University of Liverpool and Dr Simon Doe of Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals trust on the issue.
Dr Davies explained cancer’s ability to adapt to its environment and start to re-grow despite treatment, ‘we may rebiopsy the tumour to try to determine how to cancer has evolved… results from the biopsy may give us an opportunity to offer a more effective therapy.’
Kathy, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in June 2013. After two separate rebiopsies, they were able to find her a treatment called osimertinib (tradename Tangresso), that she describes as a ‘dream come true… it has given my life back.’
Dr Doe reiterates Kathy’s optimism, ‘new types of treatment are leading to significantly better results… there are occasions when it’s a good idea for us to think about revisiting a tumour, to consider taking a second biopsy.
He added that the emphasis now is on looking for genetic changes in tumours with the hope of using targeted treatment at that genetic change.
