Liquid biopsies are revolutionizing cancer care by providing a less invasive way to detect cancer. This method gives a snapshot of all tumors in the body, rather than just one area, and is beneficial for tumors located in areas that are too dangerous to be biopsied surgically.
Benefits and Drawbacks
The advantages of liquid biopsies include being less invasive than surgical procedures and providing a comprehensive view of tumors in the body. However, they are not yet accurate enough to use for cancer screening in individuals who have not been previously diagnosed. Liquid biopsies can produce false negatives and positives, especially when checking for early-stage cancers.
Available liquid biopsies include monitoring and minimal residual disease liquid biopsies, which can tell if current cancer treatment is working and deliver an early warning of cancer recurrence. The ‘Shield’ brand screens for colon cancer in average-risk adults, while others use Next Generation Sequencing to detect hundreds of tumor mutations.
Managing Dyslipidemia
Newly updated guidelines on managing dyslipidemia assess an individual’s risk for heart disease over the next three decades. This means an additional 21.5 million Americans are eligible to use statins, making a total of around 87 million candidates for taking statins to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Statins effectively lower LDL-C levels and protect against cardiovascular disease, especially when used in combination with upgrades to nutrition, physical activity levels, sleep routines, and stress management. A new non-statin oral medication called Lipfendra has been found to be as effective at lowering LDL as injected drugs, but more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in reducing heart attacks and strokes.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
