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Nearly 10 million lives are lost to cancer every year and a good share of these deaths are due to late diagnosis. If a cancer presence can be diagnosed far earlier than a conventional diagnosis, the survival chances are significantly higher. According to a study published on the Nature Communications, it is possible to detect 5 types of cancer, 4 years before a conventional diagnosis does! All with a single Blood test!
The groundbreaking discovery was a result of a large scale study which included blood from 605 people in China throughout a decade from 2007 to 2017! The test found cancers in 91% of asymptomatic people, who were diagnosed positive for liver, colon, lung, oesophagal or stomach cancer 1-4 years later with traditional methods! Out of the 605 participants, 191 developed different types of cancer.
Honed for a decade this sharp test uses a method based on DNA methylation analysis where DNA signatures specific to cancer can be detected. According to the researchers, the chance of early diagnosis can be increased by testing asymptomatic people with higher risk because of their family history, age, lifestyle or other known factors. With more precision, their aim is to make ‘PanSeer’ a first-line screening test for cancer worldwide. The test has been developed by Singlera Genomics.