A cancer screening exercise.[Photo/peopledaily]
As the world marked Cancer Day yesterday, scientists at Johns Hopkins University in the US reveled they have developed a simple blood test that can detect signs of eight types of cancers long before symptoms of the disease arise.
The universal blood test for cancer offers hope for a reduction in cancer deaths as it would lead to early detection and treatment.
Kenyan oncologists, led by Dr Julius Onyango, welcomed the news, saying the test will help address instances where most cancer cases in the country are diagnosed late.
“These diagnostic advancements hold immense promise to reduce Kenya’s cancer mortality because the earlier it is detected, the higher the chances of survival,” he said.
The test is described in a paper published in the journal Science, where authors said the new work represents the first non-invasive blood test that can screen for a range of cancers all at once—cancer of the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colon, lung and breast.
“The goal is to look for as many cancer types as possible in one test, and to identify cancer as early as possible,” said Nickolas Papadopoulos, a professor of oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins, who led the work.
“We know from the data that when you find cancer early, it is easier to kill it by surgery or chemotherapy.”