Radiologists deny breast cancer can be detected using saliva test
Too good to be true. Radiologists and oncologists have strongly refuted the possibility of detecting breast cancer using saliva testing. This news has become popular in recent days, and given the expectations raised, they had to be reminded about it. It cannot replace mammography and will not replace it for a long time..
On February 13 it was published in a magazine called Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, which translates to “Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology”. This is not a publication that reflects great advances in medicine and, without a doubt, the ability to detect breast cancer using a saliva sample.
The work was carried out by researchers from the University of Florida (USA) and National Yang Ming Chiaotong University (Taiwan). This is a device that uses paper test strips treated with antibodies that react to specific cancer biomarkers.
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The authors note that just a drop of saliva can provide accurate results, even if the biomarker concentration is low. They also claim that the price is very low: the reusable circuit board used in the device will cost $5, and the test strips will cost a few cents.
In addition, the results will be available in five seconds. Therefore, the researchers believe it could be a good alternative for use in low-income countries where access to cancer detection technologies is more limited.
However, in a statement, the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM) warns that “It is not true that this system is more accurate than mammography. it also fails to detect breast cancer at an early stage.
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He explains that this is a pilot study involving only 21 patients, and that this type of biomarker is useful for monitoring established disease, “when there is a high tumor burden and it is more likely that a particular cancer biomarker can be detected in fluids.” “
“Under no circumstances,” radiologists warn, “the detection of biomarkers in fluids should be considered in the scenario of screening and secondary prevention, requires high sensitivity and specificity to detect breast cancer in a subclinical studybefore symptoms appear.
For this reason, as SERAM notes, the only tool for early detection of breast cancer in women at risk is “mammography, supported by numerous clinical studies that have shown that it reduces breast cancer mortality.”
Blood and saliva tests for cancer
For several years now, there has been a race to make it easier to detect tumors using cheaper and less invasive methods than current ones. Imaging tests (such as mammography) are usually needed to identify abnormalities, followed by a biopsy of suspicious tissue, which is the removal of tissue (usually by cutting) for further analysis.
Advances in the molecular study of tumors have made it possible to identify certain characteristics of cancer cells, such as specific proteins that can be found in the blood.
Thus, numerous researchers around the world are testing how reliable it is to detect cancer using a blood test. This is a so-called liquid biopsy. Detection of cancer in saliva occurs through the same pathway. Thus, it will be possible to identify the tumor using a cheaper and less invasive test than current ones.
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The problem is that until now These analyzes have not been demonstrated to achieve sufficient accuracy to be reliable.. That is, they do not miss possible positive results and, moreover, do not mistakenly detect cancer in people who do not have it.
The usefulness of these tests also depends on the stage at which they can detect the tumor. That is, if they can “guess” the cancer when it is in its early stages, with no symptoms (or very mild forms) or other manifestations.
“From a medical point of view, this article is of little value,” he explains. Miriam Montes, radiologist at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid. “This is a pilot study with 21 patients and only 4 of them are healthy.”
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“Tumor markers, when they are detected in the blood, are detected only in a percentage of women with metastases, with a high tumor load. They are not used for early diagnosis of breast cancer, but rather serve the oncologist, sometimes, to “monitor the disease in a tentative manner.”
Montes emphasizes that because this is a small study, “we can’t talk about sensitivity or specificity. If at some point it is proven to work in clinical trials with thousands of patients, that could be good news.”
And yet, he notes: “This will not help to make an early diagnosis, that is, at a subclinical stage, with a very low tumor load. because in many cases the cancer never even left the breast.
In no way, he concludes, can tests of this type replace current screening tests. “Mammography not only detects a tumor, but at the same time provides very precise information about its morphology, size and location, fundamental aspects of medical and surgical treatment planning.”