Pancreatic cancer stands as one of the most notorious malignant tumors, typically detected in advanced stages. Consequently, early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer holds paramount importance. According to a report from the Physics Organization Network on the 8th, scientists at the City of Hope Cancer Research Center in the United States have developed a blood test method boasting over 97% accuracy in diagnosing early-stage pancreatic cancer. They are set to unveil the trial results at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research conference in San Diego.
Image Source: Physicists' Organization Website
Researchers explain that this blood test method aims to identify 8 small RNA fragments and 8 larger DNA markers shed by pancreatic cancer, which together constitute the genetic signature of pancreatic cancer.
Lead researcher Ajay Goel states that the 5-year survival rate for early-stage pancreatic cancer patients is 44%, but this drops to 3% if the cancer is diagnosed after it has spread to other parts of the body.
The study involved 523 cancer patients and 461 healthy individuals from Japan, the United States, South Korea, and China.
When used alone, the blood test method yielded early detection rates for pancreatic cancer of 93%, 91%, and 88% for participants from the United States, South Korea, and China respectively. When combined with the cancer marker CA19-9 testing, the accuracy of diagnosing stage I and II pancreatic cancer in US participants increased to 97%. Stage I pancreatic cancer is confined to the organ, while stage II has spread to nearby lymph nodes but not to other locations.
The research team notes that their method offers a superior liquid biopsy approach to using CA19-9 alone for early-stage pancreatic cancer. However, further research is needed before applying this test to the general population.
