A simple blood test detects cancer

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MunichA simple blood test could help detect cancer in the future. And earlier than was previously possible. Tissue extraction is also no longer necessary.

In cancer patients, the repair system of healthy body cells only functions to a limited extent. Diana Anderson and her colleagues at the University of Bradford took advantage of this feature and developed a blood test that detects cancer.

Comet tail made from destroyed DNA

The person examined only has to have a little blood drawn for this. The white blood cells from the sample - called lymphocytes - are then placed in a gel-like substance with nutrients and irradiated with UV light. The rays damage the DNA, i.e. the genetic material, of the cells. In the sensitive cells of cancer patients, it is much stronger than in healthy people.

Genetic material that the cells cannot repair, but which they release to the outside world. DNA molecules are always negatively charged.The researchers therefore only had to expose the samples to an electromagnetic field, and the separated, damaged DNA molecules began to migrate to the positive pole. Under the microscope, the researchers can then see a “comet's tail” made of DNA molecules in the gel. And it is longer in cancer patients than in healthy people because of the greater damage.

In a first clinical study, Anderson and her colleagues tested the system on 208 people: 58 suffered from skin, colon or lung cancer; 56 had an increased risk of cancer due to colon polyps or COPD. 94 subjects were healthy.

Increased cancer risk

The scientists achieved one hundred percent specificity with their test, which means that all subjects were correctly classified. In the study participants with polyps or COPD, the amount of DNA destroyed was between that of healthy and sick subjects. The test also detects people who are at a greatly increased risk of developing cancer.

"A test as easy to do as this one can also screen for cancer in countries with poor medical care," says Anderson. The low inhibition threshold for the examination may lead to more people going to preventive care. Many types of cancer are curable today if they are recognized early enough. (away)

Source: Anderson D. et al .: Sensitivity and specificity of the empirical lymphocyte genome sensitivity (lgs) assay: implications for improving cancer diagnostics, FASEB, October 2014.

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