Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have made a groundbreaking discovery in cancer detection and monitoring.
Detecting cancer early is crucial for a patient’s chances of survival, and monitoring the effectiveness of cancer treatment is equally important.
This breakthrough uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect changes in the organization of certain blood cells’ nuclei, providing a reliable indication of a tumor in the body.
How It Works
The researchers focused on two types of blood cells: lymphocytes and monocytes. These cells can be easily obtained from a simple blood sample, and their nuclei have a distinct round shape that makes them easy to study under a microscope.
The researchers hypothesized that these blood cells might react to substances released by tumors into the bloodstream, which they called the “secretome.”
When this happens, it activates the chromatin in the cell nuclei, causing changes in the organization of the genetic material inside. These changes can serve as indicators or biomarkers of cancer.
The research team used fluorescence microscopy to examine the chromatin of these blood cells, looking at around 200 different characteristics, including texture, density, and contrast.
They then used AI to analyze microscope images of blood samples from healthy and sick individuals.
This AI system underwent two phases: “supervised learning,” where known differences were taught to the software, and “deep learning,” where the algorithm identified differences between healthy and sick cells that might not be apparent to the human eye.
Promising Results
The research had three main objectives. First, they aimed to distinguish between healthy individuals and those with cancer, which they achieved with 85% accuracy.
Second, they wanted to determine whether the AI system could identify different types of tumors, including melanoma, glioma, and head and neck tumors, also with over 85% accuracy.
Finally, they examined patients undergoing or who had received proton therapy treatment. The AI system accurately monitored the treatment’s success by analyzing blood samples taken before, during, and after radiation therapy.
This breakthrough could have wide-ranging applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment. It may not be limited to the follow-up of proton therapy but could also be used for other forms of treatment, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.
The researchers believe this technique could be applied to various types of cancer, offering a non-invasive and sensitive method for detecting cancer and monitoring its progress.
Further research is needed before regulatory authorities approve this clinical practice technique. Studies with larger participant groups are required to determine the method’s accuracy under clinical conditions, addressing false positives and negatives.
Despite the work ahead, the researchers are optimistic about the method’s potential to benefit patients by improving cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about Research shows a surprising cause of cancer and findings of The surprising impact of anxiety drugs on pancreatic cancer survival.
For more information about cancer prevention, please see recent studies about nutrient in fish that can be a poison for cancer, and results showing this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
The research findings can be found in npj Precision Oncology.
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