Blood test finds 50 types of cancer is accurate enough to be rolled out

[cesces]

For anyone who has been treated with radiation therapy, this could be handy to keep an eye on potential secondary cancers.

A simple blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before any clinical signs or symptoms of the disease emerge in a person is accurate enough to be rolled out as a screening test, according to scientists.

The test, which is also being piloted by NHS England in the autumn, is aimed at people at higher risk of the disease including patients aged 50 or older.

It is able to identify many types of the disease that are difficult to diagnose in the early stages such as head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and some blood cancers.

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Scientists said their findings, published in the journal Annals of Oncology, show that the test accurately detects cancer often before any signs or symptoms appear, while having a very low false positive rate.

The test, developed by US-based company Grail, looks for chemical changes in fragments of genetic code – cell-free DNA (cfDNA) – that leak from tumours into the bloodstream.

The Guardian first reported on the test last year and how it had been developed using a machine learning algorithm – a type of artificial intelligence. It works by examining the DNA that is shed by tumours and found circulating in the blood. More specifically, it focuses on chemical changes to this DNA, known as methylation patterns.

Now the latest study has revealed the test has an impressively high level of accuracy. Scientists analysed the performance of the test in 2,823 people with the disease and 1,254 people without.

It correctly identified when cancer was present in 51.5% of cases, across all stages of the disease, and wrongly detected cancer in only 0.5% of cases.

In solid tumours that do not have any screening options – such as oesophageal, liver and pancreatic cancers – the ability to generate a positive test result was twice as high (65.6%) as that for solid tumours that do have screening options such as breast, bowel, cervical and prostate cancers.

Meanwhile, the overall ability to generate a positive test result in cancers of the blood, such as lymphoma and myeloma, was 55.1%.

The test correctly also identified the tissue in which the cancer was located in the body in 88.7% of cases.

Dr Eric Klein, chairman of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at Cleveland Clinic in the US and first author on the research, said: “Finding cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful, is one of the most significant opportunities we have to reduce the burden of cancer

Blood test finds 50 types of cancer is accurate enough to be rolled out.

theguardian.com/society/202...

[Currumpaw]

Good find cesces!

Thanks. My formerly traditional now traditional/alternative Doc offered a similar test several years ago--before it was taken out of use by the FDA. The test he was using had quite a high degree of accuracy but not quite enough or enough-- maybe political influence. I believe that test had about the same percentage of accuracy as this one.

While not fail proof what is wrong with knowing that there is a possibility. Other testing might confirm or deny the existence of a cancer.

Testing! The FDA advising doctors about 10 years ago that the PSA test's sometimes erratic numbers might unduly concern men. Testing every other year was recommended. 50% of those in medical insurance plans are men. Maybe about 40% are of the age when a PSA was part of their yearly physical. Cost was about $35 to $50 for a test then---but--- if the numbers were high that of course led to the infamous TRUS biopsy --more $$--and some doctors using fluoroquinolones like candy. Articles recently about the increase in advanced prostate cancers due to the practice of PSA tests being run every other year. Imagine that!

A US of A based company--Grail--I like the name--but the testing is being run by the UK's health services.

Currumpaw