Toronto centre launches trial testing blood for residual cancer

5 min read

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre researchers, led by Dr. Lillian Siu, have launched the SHERLOCK trial to enroll 7,000 patients who finished radiation, chemotherapy or other treatments and test their blood for tiny amounts of tumour DNA, known as molecular residual disease. If liquid biopsies are positive, patients could receive additional experimental treatments such as immunotherapies; if negative, further chemo or radiation might be stopped to avoid side effects. The observational trial will follow patients for at least five years, aims to compare results across cancer types, and is funded by a $50-million donation.

The SHERLOCK trial will enroll 7,000 post-treatment cancer patients.