British and Spanish scientists have developed a new method for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The test is completely non-invasive, as it analyzes a urine sample for the presence of three proteins characteristic of patients with this cancer.
Pancreatic cancer most often develops secretly without any early symptoms. The diagnosis usually occurs (in over 80% of cases) when metastases have already occurred. The 5-year survival rate in Europe is only 6%.
According to prof. Nick Lemoine from Queen Mary University in London, one of the researchers who participated in the development of the new diagnostic test, this percentage could be as high as 60% if the diagnosis was made in the first stage of cancer.
Researchers examined the concentrations of three previously selected proteins – LYVE1, REG1A and TFF1 – in the urine of 488 people, of which 192 had pancreatic cancer, 92 chronic pancreatitis, and 117 suffered from other cancers (mainly liver and gallbladder). The control group consisted of 87 healthy people.
It turned out that significantly elevated levels of all three proteins were found only in patients with pancreatic cancer (elevated, but significantly weaker, concentrations of the three proteins were also found in people with chronic pancreatitis). As a result, scientists were able to detect stage 1 or 2 pancreatic cancer with a sensitivity of over 90%.
In the future, the test can be used as a screening test in groups particularly vulnerable to pancreatic cancer. They include, among others people with a family history of this cancer (genetic burden), heavy smokers, obese people and people who abuse alcohol, as well as people who have been diagnosed with diabetes over the age of 50.
Based on: BBC
Text: Tomasz Kobosz