Early detection of cancer increases the chance of successful treatment. In the future, a blood test could be used for this purpose.
If a tumor is detected early, it can often be treated more successfully. Early detection is therefore particularly important in the case of cancer. For this reason, cancer research is also focusing on this area. A team of researchers led by Mark Middleton, Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at Oxford, has now presented a blood test at the world's largest cancer conference – the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology – which, according to their study, can detect more than 50 different types of tumors.
Cancer research: New blood test can detect early-stage cancer
+A blood test could help in the early detection of cancer.
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Almost 5,500 subjects from England and Wales with an average age of 62 years, who were suspected of having cancer after an examination by their family doctor, took part in the study in the field of cancer research. They were examined with the so-called Galleri test, which detects small DNA fragments of the tumor in the blood and in more than 50 different types of cancer. That's because this particular test looks for cancer DNA in the blood. With its help, tumors could be detected or excluded in the majority of the study participants.
Thus, two-thirds of the patients received a correct diagnosis of their cancer. In addition, the scientists were able to use the test to localize the origin of the tumor in 85 percent of those affected. In elderly patients as well as in patients in whom the cancer was already advanced, the test procedure was particularly accurate. According to the manufacturer Grail, the test, which doctors are already allowed to carry out in the USA, is not suitable for independent diagnosis. Instead, it serves as a supplement to existing cancer screening examinations.
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Blood test could speed up diagnosis and treatment of cancer
According to experts, however, the blood test could accelerate a diagnosis and thus the treatment of cancer. Although it is already used by doctors in the USA, the test has not yet been covered by health insurance there. Further research is needed for approval. In the UK, a large-scale study is currently underway with 140,000 volunteers. According to Susanne Weg-Remers, a physician and head of the Cancer Information Service at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, it will probably take years before it is clear whether the test is actually suitable for widespread use.
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This article contains only general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It is in no way a substitute for a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, individual questions about clinical pictures may not be answered by our editors.
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