How to Detect Cancer Signs Through Blood Test

Israeli Laboratory Leads Western World In Blood Testing

(Photo : Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)
NES TSIONA, ISRAEL - JANUARY 22: A laboratory technician places human blood samples on an automated testing line at the Maccabi Health Services HMO central testing laboratory January 22, 2006 in Nes Tsiona which is located in central Israel. The laboratory, which operates a fully automated system complete with advanced robotics, can test more than 50,000 blood samples a day. The lab is considered one of the most modern of its kind in the western world.

Four years before the appearance of symptoms, a blood test could detect signs of cancer according to a new Chinese study. The new study will exhibit how to detect cancer signs through this non-invasive procedure.

The blood test created by scientists can detect 5 common types of cancer. The test is named PanSeer which has the capacity to detect stomach bowel, gullet, liver, and lung cancer until 4 years before conventional diagnosis procedures including biopsies or imaging tests.

The study was published on Tuesday in the journal called "Nature Communications."

The blood test undertakes the detection of small bits of DNA released by tumor cells into the bloodstream. For a number of years, scientists have been working on such type of DNA sequencing application, reported 7 News.

Cancer is one of the deadliest illnesses globally. PanSeer has the capability to detect cancer in 95 percent of individuals who exhibit no symptoms at all, indicated Wion.

The scientists stated that their study's findings could contribute to identifying those most susceptible to developing cancer. However, its results require validation in larger studies, reported Science Focus.

The "liquid biopsy," another term for PanSeer, examines blood samples for small DNA fragments. According to the scientists, it was unlikely that their test could foretell cancer, but instead detects tumors that had not yet exhibited symptoms.

The team of researchers wrote in the journal on how to detect cancer signs, "We demonstrated that five types of cancer can be detected through a DNA methylation-based blood test up to four years before conventional diagnosis."

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The blood test is based on screening DNA detected in blood plasma for tags identified as methyl groups that have a tendency to appear in tumors, the scientists stated.

"The ultimate goal would be performing blood tests like this routinely during annual health check-ups," according to Kun Zhang, a professor at the University of California, San Diego and an author of the study.

"But the immediate focus is to test people at higher risk, based on family history, age, or other known risk factors."

This milestone sets forth the industry closer to diagnosing cancer through a blood test before its progression into mature stages which are more difficult to undergo treatment.

"We're turning the proof of concept stage into a commercial product that is robust, inexpensive, and can be deployed in clinics," said Zhang.

The research is not a foretelling test, but simply detection of cancer signs in the body before they gain prevalence to result in apparent changes in the body which is mostly when individuals get diagnosed with the illness. Early detection can prevent fatalities and complications by containing it early on.

The researchers evaluated plasma samples from 605 asymptotic individuals including 191 among them who were later diagnosed with cancer. Also, they analyzed specimens from an additional 223 diagnosed with the illness along with 200 normal tissue and primary tumor samples.

It is a goal of liquid biopsies to revolutionize how to detect cancer signs by tracing gradually growing cancers years ahead without resorting to invasive processes.