Scientists at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have made a breakthrough by developing a new kind of urine test. This test can find tiny DNA pieces that break off from cancer tumors in the head and neck area.
Finding these cancers early is really important because if we catch cancer sooner, people have a better chance of getting better.
Usually, we hear about the human papillomavirus (HPV) in relation to cervical cancer, but it’s also a big reason why some people get cancer in their mouth, throat, and other parts near the head and neck.
Right now, there’s no easy way to check for these cancers early on, which is why this new test could be a game-changer.
The team at the Rogel Cancer Center, led by experts Muneesh Tewari, J. Chad Brenner, and Paul L. Swiecicki, has found that the DNA pieces from these tumors are really small, much smaller than what other tests usually look for.
These tiny bits, called cell-free DNA fragments, are shorter than 50 building blocks (or base pairs) of DNA. Because they’re so tiny, they could easily slip through the cracks and not get caught by standard tests that look for cancer signs in your blood or urine.
By looking at the whole genetic blueprint, the researchers noticed that these small DNA fragments from tumors get into the urine through the bloodstream and kidneys.
They’ve used this insight to create a test specifically designed to find these mini fragments in urine, particularly focusing on cancers caused by HPV.
What’s really cool about this test is that it’s a mail-in kit. This means that people can use it from the comfort of their homes, which is especially handy for those living far from the hospital in Ann Arbor.
Participants just need to collect a urine sample and send it back to the lab. There, the experts check the sample to see if it shows signs of head and neck cancer.
One of the exciting things the researchers found is that this test can spot cancer coming back way earlier than regular hospital scans can.
This early warning could make a big difference in treatment and outcomes. Encouraged by these results, the team is looking to make this test available to even more people.
But it doesn’t stop with head and neck cancer. The team has also explored using this testing method for other types of cancer, like breast cancer and a kind of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia.
This opens up the possibility of using simple urine tests to find a variety of cancers early on.
Chandan Bhambhani, a key researcher in this study, points out that urine isn’t just waste—it carries a lot of information about different cancers.
This discovery about tiny DNA fragments and the new test they’ve developed could really change how we diagnose cancer in the future.
Plus, because it’s so easy to collect a urine sample at home, people might be more willing to do follow-up tests after treatment, compared to the more traditional blood tests.
In a nutshell, this new test is a big step forward in catching cancer early, which is crucial for treating it effectively. It shows the power of looking in new places, like urine, for signs of disease and tailoring our tools to catch those signs as early as possible.
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The research findings can be found in JCI Inisght.
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