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Australian researchers developed the world's first blood test for early melanoma as a breakthrough that could increase survival rates from fatal skin cancer
. On Wednesday, the new test could help doctors detect the disease before it spreads in a person's body.
"Patients whose melanoma was detected at an early stage have a five-year survival rate of between 90 and 99%," said Pauline Zaenker, principal investigator in a statement.
She added that survival rates decreased to less than 50% if the cancer spread in the body.
"That's what makes this blood test so exciting as a potential screening tool because it can detect melanoma in its very early stages when it is still treatable," said Zaenker
. detect the disease in 70% of cases.
The next step for scientists is to conduct another three-year clinical trial to validate their findings, hoping that the test could be available in the markets within three to five years. 19659007] The hope is to have a test that clinics can use after this period
BREAKING: A new blood test detected a melanoma in the early stages with an accuracy of 79%. @ecu @ecuresearch @edithcowanuni pic.twitter.com/jWxf9oaszH
– Australian Academy of Sciences (@Science_Academy) 17 July 2018
Melanoma is currently detected by a visual examination by a doctor, with areas of concern surgically cut and biopsied.
The blood test works by detecting combinations of protein antibodies produced by the body in response to a melanoma.
"We examined a total of 1627 different types of antibodies to identify a combination of 10 antibodies that best indicated the presence of melanoma in confirmed patients compared to healthy volunteers," Zaenker said.
Sanchia Aranda, Executive Director of Cancer Council Australia, stated that the test would be important for high-risk groups, who must undergo regular inspections of their stains and moles that can be difficult and time-consuming .
She warned that the test did not address other types of less lethal but more common skin cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
"People must be very aware of the damage caused by the sun or UV rays on their skin, and be alert to changes in spots or moles," she told the news agency AFP. Cancer diagnosed is a skin cancer, according to the World Health Organization. About 14,000 cases were diagnosed in 2017.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and News Agencies
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