Most cancer diagnoses are based on computerized tomography scans followed by samples being taken and sent for biopsy. This method takes time and there is — albeit a small one — a chance of errors occurring. Some rapid methods are available for specific types of cancer, such as a new blood test for pancreatic cancer, based on elevated levels of a specific protein (see Nature Scientific Reports).
This situation makes the new test, developed at the VUMC Cancer Center Amsterdam, even more remarkable. Scientists at the research center found that thrombocytes (platelets) in the blood from cancer patients contain different molecular signals compared with people without cancer. These markings are ribonucleic acid (RNA). Thrombocytes, under certain conditions, are involved in tumour growth.
The RNA is designed to follow DNA instructions for a specific tumor. The specific RNA-patterns in cancer patients can, in theory, allow medics to distinguish between cancer patients and those without the disease. Knowing this has led to the development of a rapid method, a type of liquid biopsy, that looks for biological markers related to the unique RNA attributable to specific cancers.
In trials, summarized by The Latest News, the new blood test has been found to have a 96 percent accuracy. Further work is required; however the researchers are expectant that the method will soon be available as a standard medical diagnostic test.
The research is published in the journal Cancer Cell, in a paper headed: “RNA-Seq of Tumor-Educated Platelets Enables Blood-Based Pan-Cancer, Multiclass, and Molecular Pathway Cancer Diagnostics.”
In related blood news, a new blood test has been developed that looks for signs of returning cancers. This situation can occur after someone has been successfully treated for cancer. This test is being developed at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and it was featured on Digital Journal earlier this year.
