Liquid biopsy or tissue biopsy for squamous cell carcinoma

[Sri]

As most of you know my brother who is in India is having stage4 squamous cell lung cancer. Today we went for second opinion this oncologist saying he should get liquid/ blood test biopsy to test the mutations since he had tissue biopsy to check for targeted murations before. This biopsy also useful to know which regimen can be used for further chemo. 

His first and current oncologist said for squamous cell we just check tissue biopsy for mutations if it is adeno carcinoma we will check in blood. Which one is appropriate We are confused at this moment. Anyone has idea please share? Should we go for lquid biopsy as per second one?

If hr needs to get blood test as per second one he got to travel for 6 hours which is very hard for him at this moment.

And recent biopsy in esophagus also showed as Squamous cell carcinoma. He had already done with six cycles of carboplatin and Taxol which was failed. Now he is getting Gemzar.

 

Thankyou

Kaly

 

 

[Tom Galli]

Kaly,

Good to here from you again and I continue to hope your brother't treatment takes a better turn.  Here I cite LUNGevity's Director of Translational Research who's June 17 report on liquid biopsies is very interesting.  Also, here is our Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval release information.  FDA approval was a little more than a year ago and the scope of the approval was as a diagnostic test to identify EGFR mutations exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations in NSCLC.  I'm not a doctor so keep that in mind in reading my next two sentences.  Your brother has Squamous cell NSCLC and unfortunately Squamous cell rarely (if ever) displays EGFR mutations. So, in light of this information, I can't see the value of your brother's liquid biopsy as a further diagnostic aid.

Your brother did not receive targeted therapy.  He had conventional first line carboplatin and Taxol and he's now in second line treatment with Gemzar and this treatment progression is the standard of care in the US.  So, hopefully Gemzar will arrest his lung cancer.

Stay the course.

Tom

[Sri]

Thank you Tom. You cleared confusion for some extent. Links you provided are informative though it doesn't specifically mention liquid biopsy for squamous cell carcinoma.

 

Thanks 

kaly