A new blood test showing potential to detect early-stage pancreatic cancers with remarkable accuracy has emerged from recent studies.
This test, which identifies a specific genetic signature linked to the disease, could be a significant advancement in the early detection of one of the deadliest cancers.
The test targets a combination of eight small RNA particles and eight larger DNA markers that are shed by pancreatic tumors.
Pancreatic cancer, notorious for its low survival rates due to late detection, is difficult to diagnose early because it’s deeply located in the abdomen and its symptoms often mimic those of less serious conditions.
Ajay Goel, the senior researcher and chair of molecular diagnostics and experimental therapeutics at the City of Hope Cancer Center, highlighted the urgent need for early detection methods.
He noted that pancreatic cancer is particularly lethal because it’s usually only diagnosed after it has spread, significantly decreasing survival prospects. For patients diagnosed at an early stage, the five-year survival rate stands at 44%, but this plummets to a mere 3% once the cancer metastasizes.
The effectiveness of the new blood test was evaluated in an extensive trial involving 984 participants from Japan, the U.S., South Korea, and China, including 523 individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The results were promising, showing a detection rate of 93% among U.S. participants, 91% among South Koreans, and 88% among the Chinese cohort.
When combined with an existing marker for pancreatic cancer, CA 19-9, the test’s accuracy in detecting stage 1 and 2 cancers increased to 97% among U.S. participants.
These stages of pancreatic cancer are critical for effective treatment, as stage 1 cancers are still confined to the pancreas, and stage 2 cancers have spread only to nearby lymph nodes and not to more distant parts of the body.
Although the findings are encouraging, Goel emphasized that further research is needed to confirm the test’s reliability before it can be widely used in general medical practice.
The research team plans to continue refining the test and verifying its effectiveness across a broader demographic.
The results of this trial were presented at a recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego. However, as with all research presented at conferences, these findings are considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.
This innovative approach to detecting pancreatic cancer holds the potential to significantly improve early diagnosis and, by extension, patient outcomes.
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