How Are Prenatal Blood Tests Detecting Cancer?

Noninvasive prenatal blood testing, or NIPT, is a routine screening
that is offered during pregnancy and looks for placental DNA to
diagnose chromosomal disorders in a fetus. But in some cases, these
tests can also find cancer in the pregnant person. How do the tests
work, and why are they uncovering cancer? Genetic counselor and
writer Laura Herscher speaks with host Rachel Feltman about
IDENTIFY (Incidental Detection of Maternal Neoplasia through
Non-invasive Cell-Free DNA Analysis), a broader study that seeks to
understand why usual results from NIPT can correlate with a cancer
diagnosis in a pregnant patient. Plus, we discuss why treating
pregnant patients for cancer can be complicated for obstetricians
and oncologists. Recommended reading: A Prenatal Test of the Fetus
Turns Up Cancers in Pregnant Mothers
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-prenatal-test-of-the-fetus-turns-up-cancers-in-pregnant-mothers/ 
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