Cancer treatment isn’t a single event. It’s a journey with checkpoints — moments where you and your oncologist need to know: is the treatment working? Is the cancer responding? Has anything changed?
That’s exactly what cancer monitoring is for. Oritov’s panels, Oncotrace and Oncotrail, give your oncologist an additional way to track what’s happening in your body over time — through a simple blood draw, ordered as part of your ongoing care.
What Is Cancer Monitoring?
Cancer monitoring is the ongoing process of tracking how your cancer is behaving — whether that’s during active treatment, or afterward, once you’ve reached remission. It’s less about a single answer and more about watching a pattern unfold over time.
Think of it this way: a single snapshot tells you where things stand today. Cancer monitoring is more like watching the trend — are things moving in the right direction, staying steady, or showing signs that something needs a closer look. That ongoing picture is something your oncologist builds together with you, visit by visit, test by test.
Oncotrace
A Cancer Monitoring Test for Any Diagnosis
Oncotrace is a cancer monitoring test designed to work across cancer types. If you’re currently undergoing treatment, or your oncologist wants a baseline to compare future results against, Oncotrace is often where that conversation starts.
Here’s what actually happens: a simple blood draw is taken. The lab looks at several things at once — how many circulating tumour cells are present, what they look like, and how active they appear to be. Put together, this gives your oncologist a broader sense of how things are tracking, which they then discuss with you directly.
The technical detail behind how this works — the lab methodology and marker analysis — is shared with your oncologist, who has the training to interpret it properly and explain what matters for your specific situation.
Oncotrail
When Your Cancer Monitoring Needs to Be More Specific
Some cancers behave differently enough that a more tailored approach makes sense. That’s where Oncotrail comes in — a cancer monitoring blood test built specifically around certain cancer types, including breast, colon, gastrointestinal, lung, melanoma, prostate, and sarcoma.
Rather than a general overview, Oncotrail looks at markers that are specifically relevant to your particular diagnosis. If you’ve already been diagnosed with one of these cancer types and you’re currently in treatment, or you’ve completed treatment and are now in remission, your oncologist may consider Oncotrail as a more targeted way to keep watch.
Whether Oncotrace or Oncotrail makes more sense for you isn’t something you need to figure out alone — your oncologist will know which fits your specific diagnosis and stage of treatment.
Why Ongoing Cancer Monitoring Matters
If you’re in the middle of treatment, you already know the uncertainty that comes with it — wondering whether what you’re going through is actually making a difference. This kind of testing exists to bring some clarity to that uncertainty.
For patients currently in treatment, ongoing monitoring may help your oncologist understand whether the current approach is working, and whether anything needs to be adjusted along the way.
For patients in remission, cancer monitoring takes on a different role — it’s about keeping a watchful eye over time, so that if anything changes, it’s more likely to be noticed early rather than later. This doesn’t replace your regular check-ups or your oncologist’s broader follow-up plan — it adds another layer of information to that process.
Who Is This Cancer Monitoring Test For?
Oncotrace and Oncotrail are generally relevant for people who:
- Are currently undergoing cancer treatment and want a way to track how things are progressing alongside their oncologist
- Have completed treatment and are now in remission, looking for ongoing peace of mind through regular monitoring
- Have a specific cancer diagnosis (breast, colon, GI, lung, melanoma, prostate, or sarcoma) where a more targeted monitoring approach may be relevant
As with all of Oritov’s testing panels, this is something your oncologist orders and interprets as part of your broader care — not a test you would typically seek out on your own without that conversation first.
What the Process Looks Like
If your oncologist recommends cancer monitoring as part of your care plan, here’s roughly what happens next.
Your oncologist orders the test based on where you are in your treatment journey and what they’re hoping to track. A blood sample is taken — nothing invasive, just a standard draw. The lab processes it, which usually takes about a week. Results are sent back to your oncologist, typically within 7 to 10 days of your sample arriving.
From there, you and your oncologist sit down together to talk through what the results show, and what — if anything — that means for your treatment plan going forward.
Talk to Your Oncologist About Cancer Monitoring
If you’re currently in treatment, or you’ve recently completed it, and you’re wondering whether ongoing cancer monitoring could be part of your care, the most useful next step is simply asking your oncologist. They know your diagnosis, your history, and your treatment plan — we’re here to support that conversation, not replace it.
If you’re an oncologist or part of a clinic team and want to learn more about offering Oncotrace or Oncotrail to your patients, our clinical team is happy to walk you through it.
FAQ
- What is cancer monitoring?
Cancer monitoring is the ongoing process of tracking how a cancer is behaving over time — usually during treatment or following remission — to help your oncologist understand what’s happening and whether anything needs to be adjusted in your care plan. - Can I request a cancer monitoring test on my own?
Oncotrace and Oncotrail are ordered by your treating oncologist as part of your overall care plan. If you’re interested in this kind of testing, the best first step is raising it directly with your oncologist. - What’s the difference between Oncotrace and Oncotrail?
Oncotrace is a broader cancer monitoring test that works across cancer types. Oncotrail is more specific, built around certain diagnoses like breast, colon, lung, prostate, and others. Your oncologist will know which one fits your situation. - Does this cancer monitoring blood test replace my regular check-ups?
No. This is intended to work alongside your existing follow-up care, not instead of it. Your oncologist decides how it fits into your overall monitoring plan. - Will this tell me if my cancer is gone for good?
No test can promise that, and we wouldn’t want to suggest otherwise. Cancer monitoring gives your oncologist one more piece of information to consider as part of your ongoing care — it’s not a final answer on its own.