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Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
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Metastatic cancer refers to a cancer that has spread from where it started to a new part of the body—in a process called metastasis. Many of these cancers can be hard to treat because cancer cells change during the process of spreading and treatments that worked before may no longer work. Because of this, a key part of treating metastatic cancer is to continually evaluate how well a treatment is working so an ineffective treatment can be stopped and other options can be offered.
To measure a treatment’s effect, tests have been developed to look for high levels of tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream—called ctDNA, for circulating free DNA.
Clinical monitoring of an individual's response to cancer treatment remains a challenge."
Hanlee P. Ji, MD
Stanford University School of Medicine in California
ACS Grantee
Recent ACS grantee Hanlee P. Ji, MD, has developed a highly sensitive, potentially customizable, and practical approach for detecting ctDNA in the blood of patients with several types of metastatic cancer, including breast, colorectal, lung, and melanoma. The approach is called digital PCR, or dPCR (digital polymerase chain reaction). Hanlee’s recently published results from a pilot study show that dPCR may be as effective as other methods used to measure ctDNA. Plus, it’s low-cost, with results available in a matter of hours.
While the studies are still in their early phases, Hanlee’s research supports the use of ctDNA monitoring with dPCR testing along with other tests or alone. So far, comparisons of this new approach to existing blood tests and imaging options are encouraging. More investigation could lead to improved monitoring of treatment response in patients whose cancer has spread.
We fund research breakthroughs that save lives. Your year-end gift helps find new treatments for cancer.