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Biopsy is currently the most accurate way to diagnose cancer. But, as Daniel F Hayes MD – lead author of the article, published in Nature Communications – "nobody wants to do biopsy" explains.
A biopsy involves taking a tissue sample for microscopic badysis. Most often, these procedures are performed by needle, endoscopy or surgical incisions. The procedures can be uncomfortable and often uncomfortable for patients.
In this latest research, Dr. Hayes and his team explored a less invasive method of detecting cancer by studying cells circulating in the blood. Cancerous tumors release cells into the blood – more than 1,000 in one minute – which means that it is theoretically possible to detect the presence of cancer by taking and badyzing a blood sample. However, this technique is insufficient because some blood samples come back without cancer cells, even in patients with advanced cancer.
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"It's the difference between a security camera that takes a snapshot of a door every five minutes or takes a video. If an intruder between snapshots, you will not know it, "says Sunitha Nagrath, PhD, badociate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan, who led the development of the device.
At present, the device has only been tested in dogs, where it has trapped 3.5 times more cancer cells per milliliter of blood than samples taken by blood sample. Dr. Hayes hopes the device will begin testing on humans three to five years from now.
In addition to providing an alternative to biopsies, the physician says the device could also provide better information for treatment planning, allowing doctors to see if cancer cells are making molecules that serve as targets for many new drugs. cancer.
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