EP 830A Blood Biopsies

Could detecting cancer be as easy as drawing blood?

A tiny experimental device may be the answer to spotting cancer early without any aggressive procedures.

Researchers are developing a "blood biopsy," which involves taking a sample of a person's blood and running it through a postage stamp-sized chip that can identify cancer cells. This could allow doctors to check for cancer more frequently and with more ease. Plus, patients would be able to avoid invasive biopsies.

Lead researcher, Dr. Edwin Posadas, MD, FACP, director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai, joins Dr. Roizen to explain how this technology works and what it could mean for you.
EP 830A Blood Biopsies
Featuring:
Edwin M. Posadas, MD, FACP
Edwin-Posadas1Edwin M. Posadas, MD, FACP, is Director of the Translational Oncology Program and the Medical Director of the Urologic Oncology Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. He is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai.

Posadas has both clinical and research interests in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer and the biology of cancer metastasis. Posadas is studying the mechanisms through which cancer cells in localized tumors spread to other parts of the body. A protein called FYN, a member of a cancer-causing gene family, was identified in his laboratory as a possible regulator of metastasis. Additionally, his laboratory has been studying the role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and immune cells (ICs) as biomarkers in prostate and other cancers, using novel nanotechnology platforms.

His current research interests focus on the most aggressive subtypes of prostate cancer that spread to organs such as the liver and lungs. At Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Posadas is working to define the function of FYN, CTCs, and ICs in prostate cancer, with the goal of applying his basic science findings to the development of new therapies and diagnostic tools that will directly benefit men with advanced prostate cancer.

Clinically, he specializes in the use of medical therapies for prostate, kidney, bladder and testis cancer with an emphasis on integrated, trans-disciplinary care.
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