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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in industrialized countries: about 30% of cases. If detected early, patients' survival expectations reach 95%.
A new test could be very important for early detection. It will likely be on the market this year, according to researchers at the University of Heidelberg. The blood test could diagnose bad cancer as well as a mammogram (bad x-ray), ultrasound or MRI.
The new test does not replace the traditional diagnosis
However, the test would not completely replace traditional diagnostic methods, say the scientists, but would help detect bad cancer earlier and more reliably.
The team led by Professor Christoph Sohn, of the Heidelberg University Gynecological Clinic, presented the new blood test on February 21 at the training congress of the German Academy of Gynecology, in Düsseldorf.
Liquid biopsy also detects other types of cancer
The blood test is based on a method called "liquid biopsy" and not on a novelty. A group of researchers from Britain, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain published a study in November 2018 in which they presented multiple opportunities for detecting cancer through blood samples.
Through the liquid biopsy, they have been able to identify up to eight different types of cancer, although the percentage of correct answers still remains quite low: only one in three bad cancer can be identified. This result, compared to that of a mammogram, is insufficient since it reaches a percentage of correct responses of about 78%.
Improve the selection of biological markers
Scientists from Heidelberg managed to continue to develop liquid biopsy, especially to recognize bad cancer, and reached a sensitivity of 75%.
To do this, the doctors focused on 15 biological markers transmitting substances present in the cancerous cells present in the blood. For the study, a few milliliters of blood are enough and the badysis can be done at the doctor during a routine examination.
The earliest would be best
The test could be helpful, especially for women over 50 who are considered at risk because their mother or grandmother was suffering from bad cancer. In these cases, the proportion of correct answers can reach 80 or 90%.
The older the patient, the less accurate the result will be. In women under 50, the sensitivity of the test is reduced to 60%. The fiftieth is the age when, in Germany, social work or care boxes start paying for a mammogram for cancer prevention, for which the two badyzes complement each other.
The test can also detect non-visible tumors on a mammogram when the bad tissue is too dense. In addition, it is indicated in patients who, for health reasons, can not undergo a mammogram, during which the bads are crushed to obtain a better image. On the other hand, a magnetic resonance tomography has the disadvantage of using a large amount of X-rays.
Beneficial, not just for bad cancer
The researchers are convinced that the test could be on sale in 2019. Their optimism is reinforced by so-called prospective cohort studies, in which individuals are followed for a certain time to observe their evolution. In the last twelve months, they have studied more than 900 women, including 500 with bad cancer. The study is continuing and will eventually include 2,000 patients.
Scientists hope to also detect other cancers, such as ovaries, through a finer fluid biopsy. This could, in the future, be able to also identify the formation of metastases or recurrences, that is, the recurrent emergence of tumors. The method could even help monitor the success of chemotherapy and the drugs that make it, to design it according to the needs of each patient.
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