A blood test may be more effective than a biopsy in matching advanced cancer patients to clinical trials that may be their last hope, researchers in the UK have found.

Testing a small blood sample for genetic information on a patient’s cancer provides more up-to-date results than tumor biopsies, which can be months or even years old, according to a study from the University of Manchester and the Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The study included 100 patients, 11 of whom ultimately were matched and enrolled in a clinical trial based on genetic data gleaned from their blood.