Presented at the National Cancer Research Institute’s 2019 conference, this blood test could detect breast cancer up to five years before the first clinical signs appear.
Both the most common and deadliest cancer in women, breast cancer can be cured in more than 9 out of 10 cases when detected early. Currently, mammography and X-rays remain the main screening options for women, especially those over 50.
Soon, a new method of detection, earlier and non-invasive will be offered: the blood test.
This innovation was presented this Sunday, November 3 at the National Cancer Research Institute conference, which takes place in Glasgow. According to researchers at the University of Nottingham who are behind it, this simple blood test can detect breast cancer up to five years before the appearance of clinical signs by identifying the body’s immune response to substances produced by tumor cells.
Detect autoantibodies to hunt down cancer cells
To design this blood test, the researchers based themselves on their discovery of tumor-associated antigens (TAA), produced by cancer cells and which trigger the production of antibodies against these cells: auto-antibodies.
They then developed panels of AATs, which they tested on blood samples taken from 90 patients with breast cancer at the time of diagnosis, as well as another 90 patients in the control group.
Using a screening technology called protein microarray, the study authors quickly screened for the presence of autoantibodies against 40 AATs associated with breast cancer, as well as 27 AATs that were not previously known to be related to the disease. “The results of our study showed that breast cancer induces autoantibodies against panels of specific tumor-associated antigens. We were able to detect cancer with reasonable accuracy by identifying these autoantibodies in the blood,” explains Daniyah Alfattani, who participated in the research.
Blood test available in four to five years
A total of three AAT panels were identified to test for autoantibodies. The more AATs the panels contained, the more cancerous cells were correctly identified: the panel of five AATs detected breast cancer in 29% of patient samples. The one containing seven AATs identified cancer in 35% of the cases and the one containing nine AATs identified cancer in 37% of the samples, and no cancer in 79% of the samples of the control group.
If further research is needed to develop and validate this blood test, “these results are encouraging and indicate that it is possible to detect a signal of early breast cancer,” says Daniyah Alfattani. “Once we improve the accuracy of the test, it will be possible to use a simple blood test to improve the early detection of breast cancer.” Now, researchers are testing blood samples from 800 patients to identify a panel of nine AATs.
“A blood test for the early detection of breast cancer would be cost-effective, which would be particularly useful in low- and middle-income countries. It would also be an easier screening method to implement than current methods, such as the mammography”, explains the researcher.
According to the study authors, if future development work on the test finds funding, it could be clinically available within four to five years.
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