New Blood Test Offers Hope to Advanced Lung Cancer Patients

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and Dr. Luis Raez, Chief Scientific Officer and Medical Director, Memorial Cancer Institute/Memorial Health Care System in Pembroke Pines, Florida, discusses a new blood test from Guardant Health that is the first FDA-approved comprehensive liquid biopsy. He talks about how it makes it easier to test lung cancer patients, and why comprehensive genomic profiling and biomarker testing is crucial for all cancer patients before starting treatment. He is joined by his patient Lynn Spadaccini who had learned she had stage 4 lung cancer and has benefitted from liquid biopsy and targeted treatment.

Dr. Luis Raez, MD, FACP, FCCP. Dr. Raez serves as Medical Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Memorial Cancer Institute, part of Memorial Healthcare System, and specializes in treating patients with lung, head and neck cancers. He also designs and conducts clinical trials evaluating new chemotherapeutic agents and combinations, as well as translational research regarding cancer vaccines. His efforts have led to research funding from the National Cancer Institute and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Raez serves as the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Florida, is a clinical professor of medicine at Florida International University, visiting professor at Cayetano Heredia University in Peru, and affiliate associate professor of clinical biomedical science for Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Raez is an expert in the use of comprehensive genomic profiling and liquid biopsy to match patients with targeted therapies to treat their cancers. Prior to joining Memorial Healthcare, Dr. Raez spent a decade as co-director of thoracic oncology and associate professor of medicine, epidemiology and public health at the University of Miami Health System Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.