Blood Test Finds Gene Fault in Manchester Grandmother’s Lung Cancer
A blood test in Manchester found a ROS1 gene mutation in Christina Isik's lung cancer, so she takes two daily tablets instead of chemotherapy. A local lab now runs the test for the whole of northern England, cutting waits from six weeks to 14 days.
Christina Isik, a 71-year-old grandmother from Hindley in Greater Manchester, has stage four lung cancer that doctors can control with two daily tablets, after a blood test found a genetic mutation in her tumor. Her case shows how a grandmother's cancer can be treated without chemotherapy when the right gene fault is found.
A laboratory in central Manchester now runs that test for the whole of the north of England. Until late last year, samples had to go abroad.
How the test works
The test, made by the medical firm Roche, looks for fragments of DNA that break away from a tumor and circulate in the blood. It picks out the cancer-causing genes. Doctors can then try to match the cancer with a treatment.
Isik's cancer carries a mutation called ROS1. That meant she could take a targeted drug to slow, and potentially even halt, the spread of the disease.
She fell ill on holiday in Turkey with her husband two years ago and was diagnosed after returning home. "It was awful, just awful. I just cried," she said.
Treatment began at The Christie hospital in Manchester. Rather than offering chemotherapy, doctors sent a sample of her blood to be genetically sequenced. At that point it had to go to a specialist centre in Germany.
Results in 14 days, not six weeks
The North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, opposite Manchester Royal Infirmary, now handles the samples. Sending tests abroad meant results could take six weeks. The Manchester lab has cut that to 14 days.
Dr Emma Howard, the lab's Scientific Operational Director, said staff went to Germany to train in the complex process. "It opens the door to much better treatments," she said.
The lab can currently identify faulty genes for breast and lung cancer. Dr Howard said the list is growing, because the test "is not specific to the tumour being tested". It is already used for cancers of "unknown primary", where clinicians cannot work out the source.
Targeted treatment versus chemotherapy
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain a mainstay of cancer care. Specialists are increasingly turning to targeted therapies, which can have far fewer side effects and can work better for some cancers.
Dr Matthew Krebs, a consultant in medical oncology at The Christie, said such treatment focuses on "the part of the cancer that's causing the problem". He said doctors are "much more likely to get prolonged control" this way than with something that "blasts everything".
Dr Krebs said the team is also looking at biliary cancers, pancreatic cancer and potentially prostate cancer. It may also look for clinical trial opportunities for patients. "It's really important that we're testing everyone who is potentially eligible for these tests," he said.
Isik is planning another holiday in Turkey. She has two small grandchildren and said she wants to see them grow up. Her son is getting married in 2028, and she hopes to be there. "I'm just going to get on with it and enjoy life," she said.
