A new blood test could detect cancer recurrence before scans are capable of picking it up.
New liquid biopsies may reliably detect the recurrence of lung cancer even in its earliest stages, and long before a tumor is large enough to appear on a scan.
That's according to a study from NYU Langone Health and Grossman School of Medicine, where researchers detailed real-time genetic monitoring which accurately predicted the risk of lung cancer relapse.
Recurrence rates in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are relatively high, even in patients whose cancer was discovered at an early stage, and who underwent treatment to remove tumors.
According to Williamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center, the rates of stage I NSCLC recurrences ranges between 5 and 19 percent, rising to 27 percent at stage II, and up to 40 percent at stage III.
Currently, former lung cancer patients will undergo follow-up with imaging as the standard of care—but researchers believe their new approach could drastically change outcomes.
Researcher Dr. Matija Snuderl, MD, if the NYU Langone Medical Center, told Newsweek: "Our study shows that a tumor-informed whole-genome blood test could identify molecular evidence of recurrence in many patients with stage IA lung adenocarcinoma well before recurrence was apparent on standard scans.
"In this cohort, the test predicted recurrence with 75 percent sensitivity and 83 percent specificity, and among patients whose blood test was positive before recurrence, the median lead time was 16.7 months."
The study focused on detection of recurrence of lung cancer after surgery, rather than screening to diagnose lung cancer in people without a prior diagnosis.
Researchers monitored patients with lung cancer across treatment stages, using blood draws to track circulating tumor DNA levels, and evaluated how effectively a liquid biopsy predicted a recurrence of the disease compared to standard imaging.
It found that a positive test result for tumor DNA from a blood test was a highly sensitive biomarker for residual disease, and could detect microscopic recurrence months before tumors were visible on scans.
Negative blood tests, meanwhile, were likely to be associated with sustained remission of the cancer.
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Snuderl told Newsweek that their new approach "could add an important, minimally invasive layer to follow-up after surgery helping identify people who may benefit from closer imaging surveillance or evaluation of additional treatment, while avoiding unnecessary treatment in patients at lower risk."
He warned, however, that further studies are needed "before this approach can guide routine clinical decisions," as their research was a "retrospective study of 42 patients."
In the future, and with further study, findings could help clinicians identify high-risk patients far earlier, and could help guide targeted treatment for patients with detectable residual disease, while those without may avoid unnecessary overtreatment.
The blood tests would allow early detection of relapse, therefore allowing treatment to restart when the burden of disease is low. This could substantially improve survival prognosis and long-term outcomes.
"The next essential step is prospective validation in larger patient populations, with standardized blood-draw intervals, to determine the best testing schedule and how results should be incorporated alongside imaging and, ultimately, treatment decisions," Snuderl said.
Dr. Antoinette J. Wozniak, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, reacted to the study and told Newsweek that the findings showed researchers were "able to predict recurrence of the cancer over 16 months before it was detected by scans and/or clinical symptoms."
She called the research "encouraging" but noted that "results are early and additional trials will be needed before monitoring the cancer by a blood test becomes the standard of care."
"Continuing these investigations is very important because they can inform physicians regarding which patients need further treatment beyond surgery and would also allow earlier treatment of cancer recurrences," Wozniak said.
"This research paves the way for more customized patient treatment."
Reference
Matija Snuderl et al., Predicting Recurrence of Stage IA Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Circulating Tumor Cell–Free DNA Whole-Genome Mutational Signatures, The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2026.07.003
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