Breakthrough blood test detects early stage malignant tumors

Testing blood samples at a laboratory in Rennes, western France on January 5, 2017. Illustration photo: AFP/TTXVN

Australian researchers announced on July 18 that they had developed a blood test that can detect malignant tumors in their early stages, calling it a "world-first" breakthrough that could save many lives.

Researchers at Edith Cowan University conducted the trial involving 105 patients with melanoma and 104 healthy people.

This new blood test involves "identifying" antibodies that the human body produces in response to cancer cells.

The team tested 1,627 different antibody samples to identify combinations of 10 antibodies that “signaled” the presence of melanoma in patients, and the method detected early-stage melanoma in 79% of cases, according to lead researcher Pauline Zaenker.

According to scientists, this new blood test method can help doctors detect skin cancer before it spreads throughout the patient's body.

Patients whose malignant tumors are detected in the early stages have a 90-99% five-year survival rate, and this rate drops to less than 50% if the tumor spreads throughout the body, said Pauline Zaenker.

She said this is why the blood test is considered an effective screening tool because it can "detect" malignant tumors in the very early stages when the disease is still treatable.

Meanwhile, Cancer Research Council of Australia CEO Sanchia Aranda said this testing method would be very important for high-risk groups.

These people have to undergo regular, time-consuming checks for spots and moles that appear on their skin.

Scientists will conduct clinical trials for three years in the hope that the method will be widely applied in hospitals afterwards.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 people diagnosed with cancer worldwide have skin cancer. Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world./.