Imagine a world where doctors could tell if you had the potential to develop cancer with the use of a simple blood test. Well, that could soon be a possibility as scientists have developed such a diagnostic tool.
The liquid biopsy test, which looks for cancer DNA in people's blood, was created by Johns Hopkins University doctors who formed a company called Thrive Earlier Detection. The blood test aims to detect cancer early on, even when symptoms are not present. This would allow people to have an early fighting chance, as opposed to finding out later on when the disease has already progressed.
According to researchers, the new gene-based blood test has exposed several types of cancer in a study of nearly 10,000 people with no history of the disease.
A total of 9,911 women took part in the study and were recruited from the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The blood test could detect 26 types of cancers. If the first test suggested the presence of cancer, then the researchers would take another one. If the second test also came out positive, later the patient received a whole-body PET scan to confirm it, the researchers said.
The blood test, however, is not able to detect cancers related to the skin, central nervous system, and blood. According to the researchers, these diseases have a very low likelihood of being detected by a blood-based screening test.
The findings of their study suggest that multi-cancer blood tests, combined with other screening procedures, could become a useful part of routine medical care. The scientists pointed out that it would be especially helpful in some cases leading to surgery with the intent to cure.
The researchers stress that there is a need and an opportunity for minimally-invasive, multi-cancer screening tests to reduce morbidity and mortality from cancer. More so, because standard screening is not recommended for people posing 'average risk' due to the prevention of unnecessary exposure to radiation, they add.
Although the results of the study were auspicious, the researchers admitted that the blood test was not perfect and needed more work before being made available for use.
The paper was published on Tuesday in the journal Science.
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More Work to Be Done
Despite yielding positive results, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said that the blood test will need more studies to demonstrate its value and whether it improves survival.
A significant setback in the blood test was that it missed more cancers than it found and raised some false positives that caused unnecessary procedures, the researchers reported.
They claim that false positives can cause anxiety in patients, and also pointed out that if found with a blood test, some cancers might not even be harmful to the patient. This could cause unnecessary worry, knowing that their tests revealed having the potential to develop cancer.
Regardless of this, an Italian cancer specialist called the test "extraordinary" and said it could become of value if it were substantially improved.
