We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Events

09 Apr 2024 - 12 Apr 2024
15 Apr 2024 - 17 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 - 26 Apr 2024

First-Ever Blood-Based Test Detects Range of Cancers and Identifies Whether They Have Spread

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 06 Jan 2022
Print article
Illustration
Illustration

A new minimally invasive and inexpensive blood test can identify cancer in patients with non-specific symptoms.

Scientists at the University of Oxford (Oxford, UK) have developed the new type of blood test that can be used to detect a range of cancers and whether these cancers have spread (metastasized) in the body. The scientists conducted a study in which they analyzed samples from 300 patients with non-specific but concerning symptoms of cancer, such as fatigue and weight loss. The team assessed whether the test could distinguish patients with a range of solid tumors from those without cancer.

Their results showed that cancer was correctly detected in 19 out of every 20 patients with cancer using this test. In those with cancer, metastatic disease was identified with an overall accuracy of 94%. These results make this the first technology to be able to determine the metastatic status of a cancer from a simple blood test, without prior knowledge of the primary cancer type. The test shows promise to help clinicians detect cancer and assess cancer stage in the future.

Unlike many blood-based tests for cancer, which detect genetic material from tumors, this test uses a technique called NMR metabolomics, which uses high magnetic fields and radio waves to profile levels of natural chemicals (metabolites) in the blood. Healthy individuals, people with localized cancer, and people with metastatic cancer each have different profiles of blood metabolites, which can be detected and then analyzed by the researchers’ algorithms to distinguish between these states.

Cancers detected earlier are more likely to be treated successfully. This rapid and inexpensive test could help to overcome many barriers to the early detection of cancer, especially in patients that present with non-specific symptoms, which do not direct investigations towards a specific organ. The new test is not specific to a single cancer type and has shown promise in this traditionally challenging clinical context, including the potential to detect some cancers in the community before conventional imaging is performed. Future studies with larger patient cohorts will further evaluate this technique for the earlier detection of new cancers and potential clinical applications.

“Cancer cells have unique metabolomic fingerprints due to their different metabolic processes. We are only now starting to understand how metabolites produced by tumors can be used as biomarkers to accurately detect cancer,” said Dr. James Larkin, researcher on the study from the University of Oxford. “We have already demonstrated that this technology can successfully identify if patients with multiple sclerosis are progressing to the later stages of disease, even before trained clinicians could tell. It is very exciting that the same technology is now showing promise in other diseases, like cancer.”

“This work describes a new way of identifying cancer. The goal is to produce a test for cancer that any GP can request,” said Dr. Fay Probert, lead researcher of the study from the University of Oxford. “We envisage that metabolomic analysis of the blood will allow accurate, timely and cost-effective triaging of patients with suspected cancer, and could allow better prioritization of patients based on the additional early information this test provides on their disease.”

Related Links:
University of Oxford 

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Specimen Collection & Transport
POCT Fluorescent Immunoassay Analyzer
FIA Go
New
Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: MOF materials efficiently enrich cfDNA and cfRNA in blood through simple operational process (Photo courtesy of Science China Press)

Blood Circulating Nucleic Acid Enrichment Technique Enables Non-Invasive Liver Cancer Diagnosis

The ability to diagnose diseases early can significantly enhance the effectiveness of clinical treatments and improve survival rates. One promising approach for non-invasive early diagnosis is the use... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The OvaCis Rapid Test discriminates benign from malignant epithelial ovarian cysts (Photo courtesy of INEX)

Intra-Operative POC Device Distinguishes Between Benign and Malignant Ovarian Cysts within 15 Minutes

Ovarian cysts represent a significant health issue for women globally, with up to 10% experiencing this condition at some point in their lives. These cysts form when fluid collects within a thin membrane... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.