A Step Forward in Early Detection Cancer Blood Test
An early cancer diagnosis is vital to save lives, and scientists are now closer than ever to developing early detection blood tests for cancer.
According to a recent article by NBC News, scientists are close to developing blood tests that could detect cancer in its early stages, even before patients develop any disease symptoms.
A study published in the journal Nature Communications states that a blood test called PanSeer can potentially spot five types of cancers. Moreover, it can spot the disease up to four years earlier than current methods by detecting tiny bits of DNA that tumor cells release into the bloodstream.
This type of DNA sequencing is not new. Still, the recent developments mean the industry is a step closer to being able to diagnose cancer before it progresses into advanced stages, where treatment is more challenging.
Even though the test is still a few years away from being commercially available, study co-author Kun Zhang said, “We’re turning the proof of concept stage into a commercial product that is robust, inexpensive and can be deployed in clinics.”
Zhang is the department chair of bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego, and co-founder of Singlera Genomics, the company that designed PanSeer.
During the study, researchers retroactively analyzed blood samples taken from 605 asymptomatic individuals to see if they could detect the DNA fragments that would indicate cancer. Out of these 605 individuals, 191 people were later diagnosed with colorectal, esophageal, liver, lung, or stomach cancer.
The study also aimed to test PanSeer’s accuracy on plasma samples taken from 223 cancer patients and 200 tumor and healthy tissue samples. The results showed that the test could detect cancer DNA present in the blood of asymptomatic patients with 95% sensitivity. Even more impressive is that the study showed that the PanSeer test could spot signs of cancer as much as four years earlier than traditional methods would.
As impressive as the results of the study are, the test does have its limitations, mainly it is unable to distinguish which of the five types of cancer the patient has. Therefore, additional tests will be needed to determine the specific cancer type.
Zhang is hopeful the technology is close to being approved for use in patients. However, it could still be years before the blood test is available for use in doctor’s offices. And even when it is, it’s unlikely it will replace current screening methods such as mammograms, colonoscopies, and Pap tests.
Dr. Eric Klein, a urologist at the Taussig Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic, stressed, “We also have to be careful that patients do not think that because they have had a negative test, that they have zero risks for cancer.”
Dr. Klein also noted that it’s important for patients to understand that PanSeer and its competitors are first-generation tests that will not always detect every type of cancer the tools are said to detect.
Even with its limitations, the test provides hope that many patients will receive treatment before their cancers advance to a point where treatment options are limited and more challenging.
At Altus Biologics, we always celebrate medical and technological advances that improve the survival rate and provide a better quality of life to patients. We commend these scientists for their efforts and look forward to the day when every cancer patient is a survival story.
