New blood test can identify cancer cells

• Years in advance!

Cancer, an incurable disease, has existed among humans for decades now. The only known interim cure for it is chemotherapy, which also has its downside as it has its upside. It basically does not work as a cure or control the spreading of the abnormal cells but it does decrease the tumors causing pain internally. It is a combination of treatments which include therapy using radiation or surgery. It does, however, affect the healthy cells in addition to killing the abnormal ones. In various cases, the therapy destroys the unhealthy cells to the extent that they are no longer detectable by the doctors but, in many cases, the tumors have been reported to return.

Increase in the rate over the past years

The disease of cancer has risen in a decade by a third due to the increase in life expectancy and harmful habits. Smoking, exposure to the sun and unhealthy diets are the cause of this disease spreading rapidly. Around twenty-nine kinds of cancer are reported around the world each year and many who fall as victims of the disease fight for their lives. Out of the 17.2 million cases, the deaths occurred are 8.9 million. When surveyed, it came to our knowledge that cancer between the years 2006 and 2016, almost a percentage of twenty-six has risen. This has caused the experts to work more in this field and develop new technology and equipment to detect and cure the vicious disease. However, lung cancer has been found to be the biggest of all others in the category. Whereas, among the female faction, breast cancer has been found to be the biggest terminator.

Invention of new test for cancer detection?

A new blood test has been invented which can detect cancerous symptoms years before the disease strikes a person’s body. Named “Liquid Biopsy”, this test is said to show the results of development of abnormal cells at an early stage. This is not only restricted for a specific category but, for ten different kinds of cancers and is being called the ‘holy grail of cancer’.

How does liquid biopsy work?

It would screen the DNA for cancerous symptoms by observing the minute release of cancerous cells into the blood. This test provided satisfactory results when tested for pancreatic and ovarian cancers. The researchers have high hopes for the screening to be universal in order to assist doctors in all hospitals for detection in their patients. It is recognised by the researchers to be a ground-breaking phenomenon in the field of medicine as with the help of this test, cancers would be able to cure at an easier stage rather than a difficult one.

It was shared that more than 360,000 people in the United Kingdom fall victim to cancer every year which means that each individual is broken the news every two-minutes

Development still required as this is a new procedure

The research inspected more than sixteen-hundred people from which seven-hundred and forty-nine had their bodies free of cancer and eight-hundred and seventy-eight freshly diagnosed. It has been suggested that further development is required clinically as it is a new procedure. For example, the cancers detected gave results with ninety percent accuracy, however, only a total of ten were identified. Nevertheless, the goal is to make the test usable for all people regardless of the history of their families. Even though the test has much progress to make, yet, it can be injected to a certain age of adults, say over forty years old to find out about the early stage.

Price to pay

The breakthrough of the exciting discovery is set to be announced officially at the annual conference of American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago the coming first week of June. Professor Nicholas Turner expressed his anticipation as he mentioned how this miraculous test could open many doors in medicine and pave way for a much easier path to follow. In addition, he said that the time period of diagnosis will be less as the disease would be observed at a much earlier stage than now. However, every good thing comes for a price and this phenomenal test would cost hospitals to charge one-thousand pounds per person.

It was shared that more than 360,000 people in the United Kingdom fall victim to cancer every year which means that each individual is broken the news every two-minutes. There are critiques over the concept as they share their regard of whether detection of the disease would help prolong the life of people. However, it might be possible that this is true and the test detection at early stages could, indeed, prolong life.

The world we live in is filled with various diseases and many new are coming to light. It is all due to the evolution of people and technology and the especially the diet being consumed by the people. This discovery in the field of medicine is quite astonishing and it is indeed shocking how quickly new discoveries are being made at such a fast pace. It makes one think of what is waiting for us in the future and what more secrets and discoveries are on the line of being unravelled.