Blood Test May Detect Cancer Up to Three Years Before Diagnosis

Strategic Insights -

A new study published in the journal Cancer Discovery has made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing that a blood test may detect cancer up to three years before diagnosis. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University used a multicancer early detection (MCED) test to examine archived blood samples from a large-scale US health study and found that the test detected cancer-linked genetic material in patients' blood years before the disease showed any symptoms or was diagnosed.

The researchers analyzed blood samples from 52 participants, 26 of whom were later diagnosed with cancer and 26 who were not. Among these, eight people tested positive for tumour DNA using the MCED test, and all eight were diagnosed with cancer within four months of providing the sample. The cancers detected included colon, pancreatic, rectal, lung, breast, and liver cancer.

Key Takeaways:

  • The multicancer early detection (MCED) test detected cancer-linked genetic material in patients' blood years before the disease showed any symptoms or was diagnosed.
  • Eight people tested positive for tumour DNA using the MCED test, and all eight were diagnosed with cancer within four months of providing the sample.
  • The cancers detected included colon, pancreatic, rectal, lung, breast, and liver cancer.
  • The researchers retrieved earlier blood samples, taken three to three-and-a-half years prior, from six of the eight patients, and tumour DNA was detected in four of those older samples.
  • Detecting cancer this early will require tests that are 50 times more sensitive than current ones used for shorter-term detection.
  • The researchers' goal wasn't to test a specific MCED product but to prove that such tests can, in theory, detect cancers very early - even years before diagnosis.

Statistics:

  • 52 participants were analyzed in the study, 26 of whom were later diagnosed with cancer and 26 who were not.
  • 80% of the participants (8 out of 10) tested positive for tumour DNA using the MCED test.
  • The cancers detected included 2 colon, 1 pancreatic, 1 rectal, 1 lung, 1 breast, and 1 liver cancer.
  • The researchers detected tumour DNA in blood samples taken 3-3.5 years prior to diagnosis in 4 out of the 6 patients.
  • 50 times more sensitive tests are required to detect cancer this early.

Sources:

  • "Multicancer Detection Study" published in the journal Cancer Discovery.
  • Johns Hopkins University. "Researchers Develop New Blood Test to Detect Cancer in Early Stages."
  • Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins.