Cancer May Soon Be Detected By a Simple Blood Test

A new study is all set to change the course of medical history in the field of cancer detection forever, as it has identified roughly 800 biomarkers present in the blood of cancer patients which can be found out through a single blood test, making early detection of cancer a possible reality in the future.

This study is the very first to comprehensively review and identify cancer-specific blood markers for future clinical development. Almost 19,000 scientific papers were analyzed and more than 800 biomarkers were identified.
This research aimed at using a single blood sample for developing a screening test to identify multiple cancer types. Every type of cancer is known to produce markers in the blood. Therefore, developing a general screening test for many different forms of the disease may be feasible.

Study author Ian Cree, a Cancer Research UK funded scientist at the University of Warwick and University Hospital in Coventry said in a press release, "This is a new approach to early detection and the first time such a systematic review has been done. A single blood-based screening test would be a game changer for early detection of cancer which could help make it a curable disease for many more patients. We believe that we've identified all the relevant biomarkers; the next step is working out which ones work the best for spotting cancers."

The research is poised to be presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference.
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