The US$500 blood test to detect early signs of eight cancer types, using algorithm that detects where tumours are
First-of-its-kind test detects cancers of the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colon, lung and breast – responsible for over 60 per cent of cancer deaths – by searching our DNA for telltale ‘needle in a haystack’; it could be available to public in 2019
Scientists have developed a non-invasive blood test that can detect signs of eight types of cancer long before any symptoms of the disease arise.
The test, which can also help doctors determine where in a person’s body the cancer is located, is called CancerSEEK. Its genesis is described in a paper published on Thursday in the journal Science.
The authors say it is the first non-invasive blood test that can screen for a range of cancers all at once: cancer of the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colon, lung and breast.
Together, these eight forms of cancer are responsible for more than 60 per cent of cancer deaths in the United States, the authors said. In Hong Kong, these cancer forms are responsible for more than 65 per cent of cancer deaths.
In addition, five of them – ovarian, liver, stomach, pancreatic and oesophageal cancers – currently have no screening tests.