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Australian researchers developed the first blood test in the world (pdf) to detect early melanoma, a potential breakthrough for cancer that, when detected late, has significantly lower survival rates.
a small trial with about 209 people, about half of whom had early-stage skin cancer. The test was able to accurately detect melanoma in about 80% of cases according to researcher Mel Ziman. Larger clinical trials will now be needed to determine if the blood test works in larger populations, and may eventually be sold commercially.
Melanoma is not the most common type of skin cancer, but it is the most serious. Cancer Society. It is mainly caused by exposure to UV rays and often starts with a change of mole or new growth on the skin. According to the study highlighting the results of the blood test, published in Oncotarget, early detection of melanoma results in a five-year survival rate reaching 99%, while patients whose melanoma is detected late have a rate of Five-year survival "If we can eliminate melanoma when it is less than 1 mm thick, you have 98 to 99% chance of survival," said Mel Ziman, one of the researchers involved in l & # 39; study. the BBC. But "as soon as it spreads further into the skin, survival rates drop dramatically."
Currently, people have to rely on dermatologists for skin exams and biopsies to detect melanoma and other skin cancers. This is problematic for people who do not see regularly or have access to a dermatologist, as well as people who have a lot of moles on their body. (The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends regularly looking for warning signs.) It's no surprise that the test was developed in Australia, where melanoma is the fourth most common cancer in the country. . Approximately 14,000 cases were diagnosed in 2017.
The blood test detects melanoma by identifying autoantibodies produced by the body to combat early cancer growth. The study first examined 1,627 functional proteins, possibly reducing them to 10 that best indicated the presence of melanoma.
The blood test will undergo three-year clinical trials to improve its accuracy to 90%. The researchers said in a statement that they hoped to be approved in five years.
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