Scientists Are One Step Closer to the Detection of Early-Stage Cancer Through Blood Tests

Scientists have gone closer to devising blood tests that could identify early-stage cancer even before patients display symptoms of the disease.

Media reports indicated on Tuesday, one test which the researchers called PanSeer, can identify five different cancer types four max earlier, at a maximum, than the existing diagnostic procedures.

The trial, the scientists describe, would work by identifying tiny bits of DNA released by tumor cells into the bloodstreams.

Scientists have also been examining this type of DNA sequencing application for several years now. 

More so, the said development has brought the sector one step closer to the use of blood tests for the diagnosis of cancer even before it develops into advanced stages, which would be much more challenging to treat.

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The Proof of Concept Stage 

According to Kun Zhang, the study co-author and bioengineering's department chair at the University of San Diego, they are turning  the proof of concept phase into a commercial product that they describe as  robust, reasonably priced, and can be used for clinical testing."

Zhang is also the co-founder of the firm that developed PanSeer, Singlera Genomics. However, at this point, the department chair added, it will still take years before the doctors can use this development.

Urologist, Dor. Eric Klein called the results in another validation, adding to various other research previously published, that cancers indeed produce bits of DNA into the bloodstream identifiable at low levels.

Klein, who was not part of the said study added, this four-year forecast was incredible. In this research, Zhang and his co-authors retroactively examined blood samples, which were taken from more than 600 asymptomatic subjects.

More than 190 of these examined individuals were found to have colorectal, liver, esophageal, liver, or lung cancer. 

They were diagnosed to have such a chronic illness through the use of the standard diagnostic procedures to determine if they could identify the tiny fragments of DNA indicating cancer.

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Plasma Samples' Accuracy

The scientists also examined the accuracy of PanSeer on plasma samples taken from more than 220 cancer patients. Also tested were 200 samples of tumor and healthy tissues."

With this, the said researchers determined that the trial could identify cancer DNA in asymptomatic patients' blood with 95-percent  sensitivity, spotting indications of cancer as much as four years ahead of the present screening procedures usually would.

Nevertheless, the trial cannot distinguish which of the five cancer types a particular patient has based on the tiny DNA fragments. 

This means that there would be a need to conduct additional tests to identify a specific type of cancer.

With all the developments, Zhang shared he believes the technology is just one clinical test away from approval for use in patients. 

However, it means that a blood test that traces early-stage cancer is still several years away from landing the doctor's use in the clinic. 

And, even when it becomes available, the authors said that the trials would not possibly replace the second screening procedures for certain cancers, which include Pap tests, colonoscopies, and mammograms, anytime soon.

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