Researchers Develop 24-Hour Blood Test That Detects Cancer
Researchers at the Royal Brompton Hospital and the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London have developed a 24-hour blood test that accurately detects the presence of cancer cells.
The blood test was administered to 223 who were suspected of having lung cancer. The researchers weren’t told which patients actually had lung cancer, and the researchers were able to accurately identify specific cancer mutations in seven out of ten patients.
The results of the research were presented on September 10, 2015 at the annual World Conference on Lung Cancer in Colorado, by Dr. Eric Lim. Lim practices at the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London and is a consultant thoracic surgeon at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.
Lim was the lead researcher in the trial and said:
“We hope this study will be a real game changer that could ultimately lead to many more lives being saved through earlier diagnosis and treatment for all types of cancer.
Though the researchers focused on detecting lung cancer through identifying gene patterns, researchers were optimistic the test could be used to identify other cancers like colorectal cancer which share the same gene patterns.
Biopsies are the gold standard for cancer diagnosis, but the tests are invasive, cost thousands of dollars, and take longer to receive the results. The blood tests cost much less and can be used to detect cancer far earlier than when biopsies are normally performed.
Though the blood tests weren’t intended to be an alternate to a biopsy, a positive result form the blood test could save a patient from going through an unneeded invasive procedure which could disturb the cancer site.
Tags: anti-cancer, cancer awareness
