Is your cancer treatment working? Is your cancer still in remission? You can find out with this state-of-the-art precision medicine blood test, Signatera. The earlier we detect a cancer recurrence or progression during treatment, the sooner we can change treatment or prompt us to get radiology imaging (such as PET/CT, CT, MRI, etc.) or a clinical examination to looks for where the cancer is growing.
Signatera works by taking a piece of your original tumor and sequencing its DNA 
to look for mutations that are only found in your tumor. Once these mutations are known (your tumor’s DNA fingerprint), a simple blood 
test can look for and quantity the amount of that DNA fingerprint in your blood over time.
A negative result (ctDNA negative) indicates your cancer is in remission, but a positive result (ctDNA positive) is a sign of cancer in the body.
What Tumor Types Can Be Tested?
Any solid cancer for which we have tissue sample from a prior biopsy or surgery. These tissues are typically stored for 10-years after biopsy or surgery.
Importantly, Signatera has been shown to identify cancer recurrence or progression months before it can be seen on imaging. You can use it to see if the drug you are taking is working, which can help prompt an earlier change in treatment than waiting weeks-to-months for the radiology studies to detect progression.
How Often Do We Recommend Testing?
I will often get a repeat Signatera test at baseline (before or during treatment), then retest every 2-3 months for 1-2 years, then every 6-months for up to 5-years, then annually. There is no standard ordering frequency for retesting, and will vary patient-to-patient depending on their circumstances.
Learn how Signatera works for detection of cancer recurrence, progression and whether treatments are working (see video):
Did you know immunotherapy drugs only work in 20% of patients, and it can take months to see any changes on imaging to know if it’s working. Learn how Signatera can help you find out if your immunotherapy is working long before changes are seen on imaging (see video)
If you are interested in getting a Signatera test, contact GenesisCare Northwest for more information: 509-987-1800
Learn more about Signatera on the Natera website.
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