Erasmus MC detects unknown original tumors with DNA | Inland

The future for these people does not look good. “That’s because it can often take weeks or even a few months until all the tests are done to conclude that the primary tumor cannot be found. During that time, patients often end up in too bad a condition to be able to start treatment at all”, according to Erasmus MC.

To gain speed, the DNA of the cancer can now be fully analyzed. For this purpose, a biopsy (piece of tissue) is taken from a metastasis as early as possible after a patient has reported to a general practitioner or medical specialist for the first time with metastatic cancer.

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