The National Cancer Institute recently shared information about exciting new research that may lead to blood tests for many different types of cancer. This type of blood test would be a very important advance in the way cancers are detected.
An easy, simple blood test to find cancer early would be so important in the fight against this disease. It would allow doctors to find cancers early, when they are most treatable.
There are two big barriers to detecting cancer early, when it is more easily treatable:
- There is a lack of technology to detect certain cancers. As an example, ovarian cancer is difficult to detect, the symptoms are vague and easy to miss, and there are no good screening tests to catch this cancer early. Pancreatic cancer also is difficult to detect. No standard screening tests are available to find pancreatic cancer before it has spread. Survival rates for these cancers are lower than for many other cancers - the cancers for which good screening tests do exist.
- Technology to detect the cancer exists, but it is invasive or uncomfortable, so people don't do it. As an example, colonoscopy to detect colon cancer is reasonably good at finding the disease. However, preparation for the test involves completely emptying (cleansing) the colon. Many people find this unpleasant, though not painful. Due to the discomfort preparing for a colonoscopy, as well as fear and embarrassment about the test itself, many people do not get a colonoscopy as often as recommended by their doctor, or ever!
In the new research, scientists from Denmark found that the body may produce something called an antibody in response to cancer. An antibody is a protein made by the immune system when harmful substances such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites enter the body.
The Danish researchers discovered that in some people with cancer, the body produces antibodies against their own cancer. The goal is to use these auto- or self- antibodies to create a blood test to detect cancer very early, before the tumor is able to spread.
We'll keep you posted as more studies on cancer autoantibodies are published. And the minute a reliable, good-quality blood test is available to detect colon cancer, you can read about it here!
