Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America--partially because there's no cure, but also because it's hard to detect until it has grown and spread. But soon, your primary care doctor could tell you if you're infected with one simple test.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have developed a blood test that can identify biomarkers for a variety of stage I cancers. It screens for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in your system, which increases as cancer grows.
"The challenge with ctDNA is identifying the small number of mutated DNA molecules among a large amount of normal DNA in the blood," says study author Victor Velculescu, M.D., Ph.D. His team developed a way to detect this biomarker needle in the haystack, and found the test was able to recognize ctDNA in about half of pancreatic cancers and more than 75 percent of colorectal and breast cancers. The test becomes more accurate as the cancer progresses, and close to all late-stages of the disease can be detected, Dr. Velculescu says.
Detecting cancer in its early stages would increase a doctor's ability to intervene early enough to surgically remove the tumor, which would reduce the mortality rate, says Dr. Velculescu.
So when can you sign up? Tests based on this approach are already available for research, and ideally in several years you'll begin to see this method commonly being used, initially for later-stage cancers and then as an annual test for everyone over a certain age, Dr. Velculescu says. "The goal would be for a patient to visit their physician and obtain a simple blood test that shows whether or not they have ctDNA to indicate a tumor," he explains. Until then? The best way to protect against cancer is by taking preventative measures. Check out these 10 ways to prevent cancer today.
Powered by WPeMatico
No comments:
Post a Comment