CureMatch Co-Founder featured in Xconomy Article on Genetic Oncology
Xconomy National reporter Alex Lash reports on tumor sequencing and a new program in Maine to make genomics free to cancer patients. UCSD oncologist and CureMatch co-founder Dr. Razelle Kurzrock is featured and quoted in the article:
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego published a 168-patient study on discordance in early 2016, and they hope to publish soon two more studies with about 300 patients combined. Both studies continue to show overlap between tissue and liquid biopsy, as well as differences, says Razelle Kurzrock, director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy at UC San Diego. For example, tumors evolve. The longer the gap between the two tests, the less overlap is likely, says Kurzrock….she has helped form a startup from UCSD called CureMatch.
The article also discusses the advantages of solid biopsies and liquid biopsies for tumor profiling:
Practitioners who have the resources to order both types of tests say they’re complementary. “In my practice I use both and recommend both to others,” says UCSD’s Kurzrock. “At the time of diagnosis, you definitely need a tissue test because you want to look at the pathology of the cells. If you’re going to follow patients, repeat biopsies are difficult and painful. Blood [testing] lends itself to following serial samples from patients.”
Read the full article here.