New Blood Test Can Detect Cancer From A Single Drop Of Blood
A new test has been devised that can detect cancer from a single drop of blood with 96% accuracy.
Developed by researchers Umeå University in Sweden, the new RNA test of blood platelets can detect, classify and identify the location of cancer in the body.
The ground-breaking ‘liquid biopsy’ could be used alongside more invasive forms of detection such as scans and surgical biopsies.
It could also enable medical staff to diagnose cancer at a much earlier stage, radically improving the patients’ chance of survival and recovery.
Published in the journal Cancer Cell, the research studied blood samples from 283 people, 228 of which had some form of cancer. By comparing the RNA profiles of the blood samples, the researchers were able to identify the presence of cancer with 96% accuracy.
From the 39 people in the study in which early cancer diagnoses had been made, 100% of the cases could be identified and classified.
“In the study, nearly all forms of cancer were identified,” co-author of the research Jonas Nilsson, “which proves that blood-based biopsies have an immense potential to improve early detection of cancer.”
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