Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in the UK have developed a new blood test to detect the presence of any residual tumours after chemotherapy and radiotherapy in locally advanced (non-metastatic) head and neck cancer patients.
The HPV16-detect test is designed to identify DNA from the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is known to drive the development of head and neck cancer in certain patients.
Intended to eliminate the need for repeat biopsies, the test could aid in minimising the number of patients with HPV positive tumours who undergo neck surgery by predicting treatment response.
