DNA for diagnosis . . . and other stories

Circulating tumour DNALiquid biopsy—the detection and analysis of tumour derived DNA from peripheral blood—has potential for diagnosis and for guiding treatment. In a large series of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, it also had prognostic significance. Three quarters of patients with extrapulmonary disease had detectable amounts of circulating tumour DNA levels, compared with less than half of those with intrapulmonary disease. DNA detection was associated with shorter survival independently of clinical features and tumour volume (Nat Med doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02047-z).Pain reliefAn intravenous opioid was slightly better at relieving pain than intravenous acetaminophen (paracetamol), according to a randomised study carried out in two US emergency departments among adults aged 65 and over. The mean difference between the two drugs was only 1.0 on a 0-10 pain scale, which was judged too small to matter. Perhaps the most important finding was that pain relief was inadequate for many patients, regardless of which drug…
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