Royal Marsden launches new cancer genomics centre in London

A new centre for cancer genomics has opened in London, established by The Royal Marsden. The Royal Marsden Centre for Cancer Genomics aims to improve personalised testing and treatment for cancer patients throughout the UK. It is the first facility of its kind to offer composite biomarker testing, a diagnostic approach that merges information about a patient and their tumour with artificial intelligence (AI).

Personalised Treatment Approaches

This new testing method will help clinicians ensure that NHS patients can access clinical trials and receive treatments tailored to their specific needs. These plans can also be flexible, adapting as a patient's cancer evolves. Professor Michael Hubank, scientific director of clinical genomics at The Royal Marsden, explained that future cancer care will likely involve multiple measurements taken during treatment. He told the Press Association that composite biomarker tests will integrate data from sources such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, with AI generating a score to guide treatment decisions. Continuous monitoring will allow for further tailoring of therapies to individual patients, potentially enabling treatment adjustments or even holiday periods from toxic drugs if the cancer is responding well.

Professor Hubank also anticipates that blood tests detecting minute fragments of cancer in the bloodstream, known as circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), will become more common for patient follow-up. Clinical trials have already shown positive results using these tests to monitor for cancer recurrence.

Patient Experience and Technological Assessment

Elaine Nangle, a 45-year-old from Wokingham diagnosed with stage 3 lobular breast cancer in March 2020, shared her experience. After undergoing initial treatment including a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, Ms Nangle joined the TRAK-ER trial at The Royal Marsden. This trial uses personalised ctDNA tests every three months for up to three years. She told the Press Association that these blood tests, which analyse a sample bespoke to her tumour, offer reassurance by detecting potential cancer return before symptoms appear. "Anything that gives me a greater chance of being here for longer, and being well for longer, is amazing," Ms Nangle said.

Dr Angela George, clinical director of genomics and consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden, highlighted the centre's role in evaluating emerging genomic technologies. "The new centre will help make personalised treatment an option for more patients because we’ll be able to deliver more tests and look at new targets that we couldn’t previously do," Dr George stated. This includes analysing blood samples when solid tumour tissue is unavailable or difficult to access. The centre's work will also support decisions regarding treatment breaks for patients who have cleared their cancer.