BackRevolution in cancer treatment: New blood test finds malignancy in patients with no symptoms
This significant improvement in early cancer detection is expected to have an influence on almost every step of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
PremiumA new study that has revealed critical details about early detection of cancer is meant to radically change the way the disease is treated. As per the research, blood tests for multi-cancer early detection (MCED) have identified numerous cancers in patients without the presence of any symptoms. Nearly every stage of cancer diagnosis and therapy is anticipated to be impacted by this substantial advancement in early cancer detection.
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In the PATHFINDER study, an MCED test discovered cancer signals in 1.4% of 6,621 persons (aged 50 and older) who had not previously had a cancer diagnosis. 38% of those with a positive test had their malignancy confirmed while 99.1% of the 6,290 cancer-free people who underwent testing received negative results.
When a test proved positive, it typically took 79 days to reach a diagnosis. Within three months, 73% of participants with a positive screening test had their diagnostic problem fixed.
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New MCED tests that are being developed will be able to recognise over 50 different cancer types and determine where in the body the cancer signal originated. Brief segments of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in the blood, which have different methylation patterns from non-tumor DNA, cause the symptom.
"We need to involve all stakeholders in deciding new pathways of care. We need to agree on who will be tested and when and where tests will be carried out, and to anticipate the changes that will happen as a result of these tests, for example in the diagnosis and treatment of people with pancreatic and other cancers that are usually diagnosed at a much later stage," said Fabrice Andre, ESMO 2022 Scientific Co-Chair.
US President Joe Biden earlier outlined a comprehensive plan to reduce cancer fatalities. At an important policy speech in Boston, Biden unveiled a brand-new organisation dubbed ARPA-H, or Advanced Research Projects Agencies for Health. Beau, Biden's adult son, passed away from brain cancer in 2015.
Studies comparing the effects of early detection tests on morbidity and mortality will be necessary for all cancer types. Additionally, more research is required on the tiny proportion of false positive tests, or MCED results, which indicate the presence of cancer but are not confirmed by traditional diagnostic methods.
(With ANI inputs)
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