A drop of blood will soon be sufficient to identify at an early stage whether a person has cancer. Researchers at the Cancer Center Amsterdam (CCA) VUmc hope to be able to deliver this groundbreaking technique lives.
"It is important to identify as early as possible and cancer to be treated. The new technique with which we "read" cancer of the blood that play a major role in and hopefully save lives, "says researcher prof. Dr. Tom Würdinger of the CCA.
The technique is still in an experimental phase. Würdinger expected within five years to have the test available for the first patients. The discovery was published Thursday in the scientific journal Cancer Cell.
DNA copies
The researchers discovered that platelets from cancer RNA (copies of parts of the DNA) contain the tumor. The platelets of patients with cancer-RNA contain unique patterns that healthy people with a certainty of 96 percent distinguished from cancer patients. Also can be seen in which organ the cancer originated and whether it is a metastasis.
The platelets profiles can also assist in determining the appropriate therapy and checking whether the treatment is effective.
Progressive
Current detection methods such as scans and tissue biopsies are time consuming, difficult to implement and expensive, says the VUmc. Also, it is burdensome for the patient and traces CT-scans only on large tumors.
metronieuws.nl/ Foto: ANP
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