Cure Cancer by early detection through CancerSEEK blood test

NewsBharati    19-Jan-2018
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London, January 19: Scientists have taken a step towards one of the biggest goals in medicine, discovering a universal blood test for cancer. A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University are undergoing a trialled method that detects eight common forms of the disease. Their vision is an annual test designed to catch cancer early and save lives. UK experts said it was "enormously exciting".

 

However, one said more work was needed to assess the test's effectiveness at detecting early-stage cancers. Tumours release tiny traces of their mutated DNA and proteins they make into the bloodstream.

The CancerSEEK test looks for changes in 16 genes that regularly arise in cancer and eight proteins that are often released. It was trialled on 1,005 patients with cancers in the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colon, lung or breast that had not yet spread to other tissues. Overall, the test found 70% of the cancers.

The earlier a cancer is found, the greater the chance of being able to treat it. Five of the eight cancers investigated have no screening programmes for early detection. Pancreatic cancer has so few symptoms and is detected so late that most of the people suffering this type die early. Finding tumours when they could still be surgically removed would be a life changing experience for the survivors.

CancerSEEK is now being trialled in people who have not been diagnosed with cancer. This will be the real test of its usefulness. The hope is it can complement other screening tools of cancer detection.