New, cheaper blood test could help detect breast cancer recurrence earlier
New research funded by Breast Cancer Now* has shown that more people could benefit from a new type of blood test that can predict the return of breast cancer, months before it’s picked up on a scan. The new test would be cheaper and easier to use as it does not rely on analysing the tumour tissue collected at diagnosis.
Accurately predicting which tumours are likely to come back after initial treatment could help identify who may need to be treated more, while reassuring people at low risk. When breast cancer comes back and spreads to other parts of the body, it’s known as metastatic (secondary) breast cancer. While metastatic breast cancer can be treated, it can’t currently be cured.
Blood tests called liquid biopsies are able to spot breast cancer coming back before the tumours become visible on hospital scans. These tests, which look for tiny fragments of tumour DNA in the blood, are currently highly personalised and require information from a tumour biopsy to develop a tailored blood test for each person.
Tumour-informed tests rely on having enough suitable tumour tissue from the original diagnosis to create a personalised blood test. Sometimes there isn’t enough tissue available, too little tumour or DNA remains after the initial testing, or the test cannot be successfully developed.
Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, compared these liquid biopsies with a new type of test, called a ‘tissue-free’ test. They showed that the new test works just as well as the ‘tissue-informed’ test.
As the new test doesn’t require prior information from the tumour, this could unlock a widespread adoption of liquid biopsies, if they are shown to improve outcomes for people.
To directly compare the two liquid biopsy approaches, researchers at the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) studied blood and tumour samples collected as part of the C-TRAK TN clinical trial. This was the first study to investigate whether monitoring cancer DNA in the blood could predict recurrence in people with early triple negative breast cancer, a more aggressive and harder to treat type, who were at moderate to high risk of their cancer returning.
The new findings, published in JAMA Oncology confirm that detecting cancer DNA in the blood is a strong indicator that someone’s disease would return. On average, the blood tests predicted recurrence around 7.9 months before the cancer showed up on standard scans.
Dr Isaac Garcia-Murillas and his team found that the new tissue-free blood test performed just as well as more complex approaches that rely on the information from tumour tissue samples.
The findings bring researchers a step closer to using blood tests to personalise follow-up care. If ongoing studies show that acting on these early warning signs helps to stop cancer progressing, doctors could identify people who need extra treatment before the disease spreads and becomes incurable.
Earlier treatment could help stop metastatic breast cancer from developing. More accurate blood tests could also reassure people at lower risk that their cancer is less likely to return, helping ease the anxiety many experience after treatment.
Dr Isaac Garcia-Murillas, Senior Staff Scientist in the Molecular Oncology Group at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said:
"This study helps us better understand which blood tests are most effective at detecting the earliest signs that breast cancer has returned. We've shown that this tissue-free approach performs well and could make ctDNA testing available to more patients, particularly when a tumour sample isn't available.
"These findings add to growing evidence that ctDNA is a powerful way to identify people at high risk of their cancer returning. If ongoing clinical trials show that acting on these early warning signs improves patient outcomes, this type of blood test could one day become part of routine follow-up after breast cancer treatment, helping doctors personalise care and intervene earlier for those who need it most."
Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, which funded the research, said:
“For the 8,000 women diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer each year, the need for better ways to predict recurrence is particularly urgent. Triple negative breast cancer can be a more aggressive form of the disease and is more likely to return and spread in the first few years after diagnosis. Tests that can identify who is most at risk could give treatment teams a crucial window to offer additional therapies that could potentially stop more people from developing incurable metastatic breast cancer.
“With one person tragically dying from breast cancer every 45 minutes in the UK, breakthroughs like this are urgently needed. Research that helps us understand who is most at risk of their breast cancer returning and progressing could save lives, and we look forward to seeing further findings.”
Fiona Sellars, 57, a Marketing and Support Manager from Cumbria, was first diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2022. After her cancer returned in 2024, she was diagnosed with incurable metastatic breast cancer.
Fiona says: "I'd found a lump a couple of years before my diagnosis which turned out to be a cyst. Then, not long afterwards, I found another lump. It was getting bigger and was quite painful, but I still thought it would probably be nothing to worry about. That all changed when I was called into a hospital room and saw a surgeon and breast cancer nurse waiting for me. They gave me the devastating news that I had triple negative breast cancer."
What followed were months of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and ongoing treatment across several hospitals. Fiona also had the heartbreaking job of telling her two daughters, who were 16 and 24 at the time.
Fiona says: "They just broke down in tears. It's a day I'll never forget."
After completing treatment, Fiona slowly began rebuilding her life. She returned to work and attended weekly counselling sessions to help process everything she had been through. Her partner, Gavin, consistently supported her and “was her rock throughout”. As she approached 18 months after treatment, although she was still worried about her cancer returning, she felt she was reaching a point where that risk might begin to reduce.
Fiona says: "I was starting to get back to normal when I noticed a red rash on my left breast. It seemed to come from nowhere and was really itchy. I hoped it was nothing, but I went to the hospital to get it checked."
Fiona was then told that her cancer had returned in her chest wall and that she now had incurable metastatic breast cancer.
Fiona says: "I'd been so terrified about it coming back. I couldn't believe it when I got the news, and then I had to tell my daughters all over again."
Fiona is now back on chemotherapy as well as electrochemotherapy. Her scans currently show that the cancer has not spread beyond her chest wall, but she will remain on treatment for the rest of her life. She hopes this new research could one day make a real difference for people diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact the Breast Cancer Now press office at press@breastcancernow.org or on 07436 107914.
Notes to Editors
The research is published in JAMA Oncology and is available at the following link: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/10.1001/jamaoncol.2026.2833?guestAccessKey=2b7ccd99-45b2-4895-9d3e-a1048ee5bb4a&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=081326
DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2026.2833
* Additional funding from Cancer Research UK, Guardant Health, ICR Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit, Le Cure (Royal Marsden Cancer Charity) and NIHR BRC at ICR & RMH.