José , 62, was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer . After two lines of conventional treatment, the disease progressed. He and his family were told that standard options had been exhausted. José contacted Nexus Oncology to evaluate a precision oncology approach.
- Complete genomic profiling in tissue and liquid biopsy
- The original tumor and a blood sample were analyzed using a panel of hundreds of genes.
- The study identified an alteration in a rare gene, associated with a targeted treatment approved for another type of tumor and already in several ongoing clinical trials.
- Liquid biopsy to track the response
- A targeted treatment was initiated outside of the standard protocol, with the support of a clinical trial.
- Every few weeks, a liquid biopsy was performed to see how the tumor was responding at a genetic level. The drop in ctDNA confirmed that the treatment was working even before it was seen on the CT scan.
- MRD and peace of mind for the family
- After several months of good response, salvage surgery was planned for a residual injury and the treatment was completed.
- A minimal residual disease test tailored to his tumor showed undetectable ctDNA after surgery and in subsequent check-ups, allowing for spacing out visits and reducing anxiety for José and his family.
“For me, the big change wasn’t just receiving a different treatment, but knowing that we were using all the available information about my tumor to make decisions. I felt like we had some leeway again.”
