Finding cancer seven years before diagnosis? Maybe

Cancer remains one of the most challenging problems facing modern medicine, and early detection is a critical factor in improving patient outcomes. The earlier cancer is detected, the more likely it is that treatment will be successful.. Now, a major breakthrough developed by scientists at the University of Oxford (UK) could make it possible to detect cancer seven years earlier than is currently the case. And the best thing is that it will be with a simple blood test.

One of the features of cancer is that This is not one disease, but a combination of them., which cause uncontrolled cell growth and the ability to penetrate other tissues. There are many types of cancer: more than 100, and each has its own unique characteristics and behavior. This heterogeneity does not occur “only” within the same cancer type, but even within cancers there may be significant genetic and cellular variability. All of these factors only complicate the development of universal screening tests and markers, making early detection a monumental medical challenge.

Protein testing

Solving the problems of early cancer detection requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines advances in biology, technology and clinical practice. Now two studies funded Cancer Research UK have discovered proteins in the blood that can warn of cancer long before modern diagnosis allows. Researchers studied blood samples more than 44,000 people in the UK Biobank, including more than 4,900 people who were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.

Then, They carefully analyzed the proteins in those patients who were later diagnosed with cancer and in those who remained healthy. They used a powerful technique called proteomics, which allows them to simultaneously analyze a large set of proteins in tissue samples, see how they interact with each other, and find important differences in proteins between different tissue samples. This comparative analysis led to a surprising discovery: they found a total of 618 proteins that are closely associated with 19 different types of cancer. These types included some of the most common and deadly forms, such as colon cancer, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and liver cancer.

Disease risk

Experts say a set of proteins could be recruited in the early stages of cancer to help prevent the disease by using them to detect cancer. much earlier than possible At the moment.

The study’s findings are particularly important because they cover a wide range of cancer types. He colon cancer, For example, it is the third most common cancer in the world and is often detected at late stages due to the lack of early symptoms. He lungs’ cancer It remains the leading cause of death from cancer, and the reason is that it is usually diagnosed quite late. He non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and liver cancer, Like other examples found in the two studies, they are also known for their complexity and high mortality rates.

Also a study published in the journal Natural communicationsfound it too 107 proteins associated with cancer diagnosed more than seven years after a patient’s blood sample was taken, and 182 proteins that had a strong association with cancer diagnosis over a three-year period.

“We now have technology that can examine thousands of proteins in thousands of cancers, identifying which proteins play a role in the development of specific cancers and which may have general consequences to several types of cancer,” says Ruth Travis, lead author of both studies.

In the second study, experts examined genetic data from more than 300,000 cancer cases to gain a deeper understanding of which blood proteins are involved in cancer development. They discovered 40 proteins in the blood that affect the risk of human disease up to nine different types of cancer.

While the researchers note that much more research is needed, they agree that some of these proteins could be used to detect cancer early and perhaps open up new treatment options. It is necessary to determine what role these proteins play in cancer development.which ones are most reliable to test, which tests can be developed to detect proteins, and which drugs are best for treatment. Is small but confident step in the most hopeful direction for all those millions of people who have faced or will face cancer. Can we prevent cancer with drugs that target specific proteins? What was once considered impossible now seems plausible.

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