Can DNA Blood Tests Find Various Hidden Cancers? -Consumer Health News

Friday, June 25, 2021 (HealthDay News)-Can a new one-off blood test designed to detect as many as 50 types of cancer become a diagnostic game changer?

Yes, researchers who report that method say they appear to be accurate and reliable in identifying and identifying cancers, including some types for which there are currently no effective screening methods.

“”[The test] In contrast to the current situation of screening individual cancers, we set the stage for a new paradigm of screening individuals for multiple cancers with a single blood test, “said Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute Chairman. Leader Dr. Eric Klein said. Cleveland Clinic.

New blood tests look for the presence of so-called cell-free DNA (cfDNA). This is a clear sign of a cancerous tumor.

The latest test enrolled approximately 2,800 participants who had already been diagnosed with cancer and 1,250 healthy participants. The result was dramatic, Klein said.

“At all stages [of cancer], If cancer is present in 51.5% of cases, the test was correctly identified. ”

The false positive rate (meaning the frequency of false identifications when the test was free of illness) was only 0.5%, Klein added.

Classified by stage-Stage 1 is an early stage disease and stage 4 is a very advanced cancer-Blood tests have given much better results for late stage disease.

For example, across all cancers, blood tests had a “sensitivity rate” of 90.1% for stage 4 illnesses, Klein said. That number dropped to 77% for stage 3 cancers. 40.4% in stage 2 and 16.8% in stage 1.

Nonetheless, Klein pointed out the value of testing as a means to detect cancer that circumvents all currently available diagnostic tools. Among them are cancers of the esophagus, liver and pancreas.

Throughout all stages of the disease, new tests have actually shown much higher sensitivity in elusive cancers than those that already have effective screening tools.

For example, the sensitivity rate for diagnosing breast, bowel, cervical, or prostate cancer at all stages was 33.7%, all of which can be screened by other methods. However, that number jumped to 65.6% because it is difficult to find esophageal, liver, and pancreatic cancers.

Ultimately, Klein’s team concludes that it is accurate and useful enough to be deployed as a screening tool for individuals at high risk of cancer (including those over the age of 50), whether or not they develop symptoms. I attached it.

Survey results were released on June 25 Oncolog Annual ReportY.

GRAIL, Inc. (Menlo Park, Calif.-based testing maker, who funded this study) has made blood tests available on a prescription basis. The immediate goal is to add, not replace, the available tests.

For now, the goal is to supplement standard screening tests such as colonoscopy, mammography, and prostate-specific antigen testing, Klein said.

After reviewing the findings, Dr. Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, characterized the findings as “exciting,” but the test was “not yet ready for prime time.” I warned.

“Sensitivity [test] Early stage cancers, such as stage 1, are low, “she said. And that is where mortality can be best reduced.

“It’s not what we want or need to be able to detect cancers that are already clinically apparent, that is, how many cancer patients were identified in this study,” Gralow said. “We [test] It will detect, for example, cancers in the case of those cancers we are screening before it becomes apparent, or before the mammogram sees it. “

At the same time, Gralow said the new screening approach is unique given that “a single blood draw can test for dozens of cancers and uses circulating cancer DNA to detect the presence of cancer.” I did.

She said this approach is trying to solve a very real problem.

“Some of the most deadly types of cancer have not been properly screened,” Gralow said, with the potential for blood tests to detect these cancers faster and easier. I added that there is.

For more information

For more information on current cancer screening options and the importance of early diagnosis, please visit: American Cancer Society..

Source: Eric Klein, MD, Chairman of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, MD; Julie Gralow, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Alexandria, Virginia. Oncolog Annual Reporty, June 25, 2021