Researchers at the Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas are getting closer to developing a test that can detect pancreatic cancer from a blood sample.
The early results, published in the journal Nature, are more than encouraging – the results obtained with the new test were accurate 100 percent of the time. The correct diagnosis was made in all 270 people who took part in the study.
Pancreatic cancer is a cancer that is extremely difficult to detect and treat. Ten years after the diagnosis, only 1 percent survives [in the UK]. patients. For comparison – in the case of breast cancer it is 78 percent.
Symptoms caused by pancreatic cancer in the early stages of development are usually very sparse and non-specific. By the time a diagnosis is made, it is usually too late for any effective treatment.
The method proposed by scientists from Texas consists in detecting the presence of glypican 1 proteoglycan in the exosomes circulating in the blood.
Exosomes are tiny vesicles that are secreted by the cells of the body. They take part in communication between cells both in physiological and pathological conditions. Exosomes are also secreted by cancer cells. A markedly elevated level of glypican 1 proteoglycan is characteristic of pancreatic cancer.
Based on: BBC News