Summary: A new blood test identifies early lung damage in cancer patients taking antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), potentially offering a safer, non-invasive alternative to frequent imaging scans.
Takeaways:
- Early Detection of Lung Damage: The blood test can identify markers for lung damage caused by ADCs, allowing for timely intervention and reducing reliance on frequent scans.
- Impact on Cancer Treatment Safety: ADCs, while effective in targeting cancer cells, can lead to serious lung conditions; this test enables safer patient monitoring.
- Potential for Broader Clinical Use: Researchers aim to expand this low-cost, non-invasive method for widespread application in cancer treatment monitoring.
A team of researchers has applied a novel blood test that can detect early signs of potentially fatal lung damage in cancer patients taking antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs).
This breakthrough method—with its development led by Albert Grinshpun, MD, from the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center and Ori Fridlich, PhD, from Center for Liquid Biopsy at the Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center—aims to offer a safer, simpler way to monitor patients for drug-induced lung disease, potentially reducing the need for frequent scans.
About Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs)
ADCs, including the widely used cancer drug Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), represent a new wave of targeted therapies. However, these drugs can sometimes cause interstitial lung disease (ILD)—a serious condition that can lead to significant lung damage if left untreated. This study demonstrates that by analyzing specific markers in blood samples, doctors can spot early signs of lung damage caused by these drugs. This concept is based on the seminal work originated by Prof. Yuval Dor and Ruth Shemer from the Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University.
Further Reading
Cancer Therapy Study Details
In this study, researchers retrospectively examined blood from patients with metastatic HER2-positive cancers who were treated with Enhertu and a minority of them developed lung damage during Enhertu treatment. By analyzing these samples, the team detected markers of lung damage that matched symptoms confirmed by medical imaging.
“ADCs and other novel cancer therapies are powerful treatments, but monitoring their side effects can be complex,” says Grinshpun. “This blood test could offer a low-cost, non-invasive way to detect lung damage early on, helping patients get timely care without relying solely on scans.”
This discovery offers a new approach for monitoring lung health in patients taking ADCs, providing a promising, accessible option for early detection and monitoring. The research team aims to develop this method further for broader clinical use.
