Iris Kol interviews Prof. Ido Wolf from Ichilov about developments in the field of cancer (Walla system!)
A simple blood test that can detect 50 cancers has produced some "exciting results" in a new trial, scientists have revealed. The most recent trial involved taking a single blood sample from people who visited the doctor with suspected cancer due to symptoms such as weight loss and unexpected pain.
Out of 5,461 participants, the test detected a cancer signal in 323 people, 244 of whom were later diagnosed. That means it had a positive prediction accuracy of 75 percent. The test was also able to successfully rule out cancer in people who presented with symptoms with an accuracy of over 97 percent.
Detects 50 cancers - even the deadliest ones
The results come from the SYMPLIFY study, led by Oxford University in the UK and health company GRAIL, supported by the UK's National Health Service. The researchers will present their work at the 2023 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago this past Saturday (June 3).
The test, known as a gallery test, looks for DNA fragments passed by tumors into the bloodstream. Using various algorithms, she identifies abnormalities in DNA methylation patterns that may indicate the presence of cancer.
Importantly, this method is even able to detect where in the body the cancer may be located. Some tumors "pour" DNA into the blood long before people begin to notice symptoms, which have several important implications for early cancer detection.
In total, the test is capable of catching signals from more than 6 cancers, including many of the biggest killers such as lung, breast, colon, pancreatic and prostate cancers. In this latest trial, the test was able to pinpoint the original location of the cancer in 50 percent of positive cases.
Test tubes with blood in the lab (Photo: ShutterStock)
Test sensitivity was higher with later stage cancer, ranging from 24.2 percent for stage I cancer to 95.3 percent for stage IV cancer. However, it is hoped that this type of test can be used to detect cancer in its early stages, when it is considered easier to treat and even destroy.
"Earlier cancer detection and subsequent intervention has the potential to greatly improve patient outcomes," added Brian D. Nicholson, lead researcher on the study and associate professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. "New tools are needed that can both speed up cancer diagnosis and avoid invasive and costly investigations to more accurately test patients presenting with nonspecific symptoms of cancer," he explained.
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