Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) blood tests are already showing promise in monitoring for cancer recurrence and guiding treatment decisions, with trials like TRAK-ER demonstrating recurrence monitoring before symptoms appear to inform timely interventions.

Future plans include serial multi-measurement diagnostics during treatment and routine ctDNA monitoring to detect relapse earlier and guide ongoing care.

Clinical leaders, including Dr. Angela George, say the new lab will enable testing of new technologies and targets, especially where solid tumor samples are unavailable or hard to access, expanding testing access and evaluating treatments.

The approach fuses extensive patient and tumor data (DNA, RNA, proteins) with artificial intelligence to create a patient-specific score that guides initial therapy and ongoing management.

The Royal Marsden Centre for Cancer Genomics opens a UK-first lab within the NHS to advance personalised cancer diagnostics and treatments using composite biomarker testing and AI.

Clinicians aim to broaden access to clinical trials, offer tailor-made therapies, and develop dynamic care plans that adapt as cancer evolves, including potential treatment breaks when patients respond well.

The centre is expected to enable more precise treatment decisions, including identifying when it may be safe to pause or stop therapy based on real-time monitoring of residual disease.

Experts anticipate multi-parameter diagnostics (DNA, RNA, proteins) and continuous AI-driven monitoring to refine individual patient care over time.

Patient experiences, such as Elaine Nangle’s, illustrate how ctDNA trials provide ongoing surveillance between imaging and symptoms, offering reassurance and informing personalized care.