Breakthrough blood test detects cancer years before symptoms appear

Scientists have developed a 'highly sensitive' blood test that could detect signs of cancerous tumours years before the first symptoms appear, an advance that could lead to better treatment outcomes for patients.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University in the US found that genetic material shed by tumours can be detected in the bloodstream much before patients get their first diagnosis.
The study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, found that these genetic mutations caused by cancer, can be detected in the blood over three years in advance for some patients.
'Three years earlier provides time for intervention. The tumours are likely to be much less advanced and more likely to be curable,' said study co-author Yuxuan Wang.
In the research, scientists assessed blood plasma samples collected from participants of a large NIH-funded study to investigate risk factors for heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.
Researchers developed highly accurate and sensitive genome sequencing techniques to analyse blood samples from 52 of the earlier study's participants.
Twenty-six of the participants were diagnosed with cancer within six months after sample collection, and 26 who were not diagnosed served as the control group for comparison.
Eight of the 52 participants scored positively in a multicancer early detection (MCED) laboratory test conducted at the time their blood samples were taken.
The MCED test is designed to detect multiple cancers in their early stages from a single blood sample by analysing cancer-signature molecules in the blood, including DNA and proteins.
All eight were diagnosed with cancer within four months following blood collection.
For six of these 8 participants, additional blood samples were collected about 3 to 3.5 years before cancer diagnosis.
In four of these cases, mutations linked to tumour growth could be identified in their earlier blood samples.
The findings point to 'the promise of MCED tests in detecting cancers very early', researchers say.
It may lead to more standardised blood tests to screen people either annually or every two years, which could boost early detection and prevent cancers from becoming treatment-resistant tumours.
'These results demonstrate that it is possible to detect circulating tumour DNA more than three years prior to clinical diagnosis, and provide benchmark sensitivities required for this purpose,' scientists wrote.
'Detecting cancers years before their clinical diagnosis could help provide management with a more favourable outcome,' said Nickolas Papadopoulos, another author of the study.
Scientists hope the findings can be validated in a larger-scale trial involving more participants.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Times

5 hours ago

• Times

Big family guys compare their contributions to society*

Elon Musk Dear friends and fellow billionaires, welcome to the inaugural meeting of the Super-Impregnators. None of you likes beating around the bush so let's begin with introductions. I'm Elon and I make spaceships and babies. To date, I have produced 14 children. My target is 40. Message me if you know any smart women who want my sperm, no strings attached Farris Wilks I'm Farris, billionaire fracker, Trump donor and pastor of the Assembly of Yahweh, the one true church, in Texas. I only have 11 children and they're all via the same woman. Abortion is bad. Homosexuality is worse. Sex out of wedlock is unforgivable, so sayeth Yahweh Musk OK dude, let's keep the kooky Christian stuff to a minimum. Remember, we're trying to save the planet here by having more of the good types of children. It is our responsibility as super-smart wealth creators to spread our superior seed far and wide. Monogamy is inefficient Boris Johnson Have to say, Elon old chum, my current ball and chain takes a dim view of extramarital hanky-panky. I tried the whole for-the-good-of-humanity thing and she didn't buy it at all Musk Not sure you're supposed to be in this elite group, Boris Johnson Your assistant said I qualified because I'm a super-spreader and I went to Eton. Surely we need lots of little Bozzas just as much as we need lots of mini Muzzers? Got to keep the gene pool flowing Musk True but not too much. How many children have you got? Johnson Ahh, excellent question. Nine? Musk OK, fine. Next! Pavel Durov I'm Pavel and I own Telegram, the social media site which in no way facilitates terrorism and/or the illegal arms trade. And none of you is trying hard enough. I've got 106 Musk Think of the school runs! Durov Hahahaha! Wilks What's funny? Musk My joke implying any of us actually do any parenting … hahahaha Wilks Oh I see. Hahahaha Musk It's so annoying when people accuse me of being irresponsible. There are lots of poor people having children. How's that going to work? At least I can provide my offspring with everything they need Durov Except a father figure? Musk No, I can provide that too. Tutors. Fitness instructors. All the tools required to become masters of their own destiny Johnson Sounds a bit, you know … Musk What? Johnson Nothing Musk How have you got 106 children anyway? Some kind of bionic penis? I've looked into bionic penises. Something to consider Durov No, six the usual way and 100 via a local fertility clinic Wilks May Yahweh forgive thee Musk No, I like it … we need to think about this more industrially. How can we impregnate the most women in the least amount of time? Like Debbie Does Dallas but in reverse Johnson Elon does Eastbourne! Boris does Berlin! Musk Yeah, dude, I like it. What's Eastbourne? Johnson It's a town in England Musk Are its women smart and the right sort and also keen? Johnson Maybe start with Newcastle Musk I'll get my team to arrange Johnson Up the toon! Wilks Lord forgive thy humble servants

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Real Housewives star Dolores Catania reveals frightening health crisis that led her to have surgery

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania revealed she was forced to have heart surgery after suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFib). Her condition is a form of arrhythmia, meaning her heartbeat had become irregular, causing her to have chest pains that began six months ago. Last month she underwent a cardiac ablation, a procedure that destroys the small bit of heart tissue that was causing the problem. Dolores, 54, went public with the news this weekend, posting an Instagram video that began with her boyfriend Paulie Connell driving her to the hospital. 'We are going to get my procedure done. It's a cardiac ablation for my AFib. I know, I'm too young to have this,' she quipped to the camera. As they emerged from the car and walked into the building, he asked if she had a 'last word' to say, to which she beamed at him and said: 'Love you.' She also posted photos and video of herself in her bed and gown, including one apparently post-op snap of herself grinning beside her electrophysiologist, whom she jokingly referred to as her 'other electrician.' 'About six months ago, I was driving when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest that radiated down my arm,' she explained in her caption. 'As women, we tend to ignore aches and pains, brushing them off as part of everyday life- but this felt different,' remembered Dolores. 'After that, I started experiencing frequent flutters in my chest, sometimes waking me up at night. Eventually, I got scared enough to call my cardiologist,' she wrote. 'He gave me a heart monitor to wear, and within hours, he called to tell me I had AFib (atrial fibrillation). He referred me to an electrophysiologist, who confirmed the diagnosis,' added the New Jersey-born reality star. 'He told me, 'You're not the same girl I met two years ago when you came here with Paul.' Some of you may remember that my boyfriend, Paul Connell, was diagnosed with WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) and also needed an ablation.' Dolores offered a word to the wise to her fans: 'I'm sharing this because I want you to listen to your body. That racing or fluttering in your chest you feel doing simple tasks during the day- that's your body trying to tell you something. DON'T IGNORE THIS. AFib increases your risk of stroke or heart attack.' She crowed: 'I'm not 6 weeks out and back to myself! I'll be off all medication soon, and I haven't had any episodes since the procedure.' Dolores urged readers not to 'wait' as their 'heart health is not something to take lightly,' adding that she 'was truly in the best of hands' with her doctors and encouraging her public: 'Take care of yourself you deserve it!!' She began dating Paulie four years ago after they met in line at an Apple Store, and the pair have been living together for the bulk of that time. Her surname comes from her ex-husband Frank Catania, whom she was married to from 1994 to 1998, during which time they welcomed two children. Dolores has publicly claimed the marriage crumbled after she discovered that Frank cheated on her during her pregnancy with their son Frankie, 27.

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

The baldness cure that can cause permanent erectile dysfunction and suicidal thoughts. It cost PE teacher Sam his life... now doctors say patients MUST be warned

A powerful hair-loss treatment being touted by influencers on TikTok may trigger erectile dysfunction and even suicidal thoughts, experts have warned. Videos of young men proudly showing off their regrowth after taking the daily tablet dutasteride have racked up millions of views on the social media site.