As cells divide and die, they release some of their DNA into the bloodstream. Only in recent years have we had equipment sensitive enough to detect this - hence we can detect many prenatal diseases in a baby through a blood test from the mother.
Cancer cells grow and turn over quickly, so it makes sense that they would also release DNA. But can we detect this accurately? Since medicine has discovered many of the mutations involved in cancers, specially the common ones, searching the blood for these should predict recurrence or even a new cancer.
Cohen JD et al. in Science 2018 Feb 23 developed a test for both DNA acid and protein remnants shed by early cancers of the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, esophagus, colon, lung, and breast. The test was used in 1005 patients already diagnosed with these cancers, The test was 63% accurate, it only missed about 2% (although higher in breast cancer) and had a false positive in less than 1%.
Clearly not ready for prime time, this is a substantial step towards blood tests for recurrence and even screening.
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