Detect cancer from a single drop of blood

Really? Detect Cancer From A Simple Blood Sample

How great would it be to do a simple diabetes-like pin prick on the finger and detect cancer? Not sure about you, but I think that would be about the best discovery ever.

Most of the time painful biopsies, never-ending tests and worrisome waiting for results is usually in order for folks suspected of having the dreaded disease.

But what if a simple blood test (much like many diabetes sufferers do on a daily basis) could detect not only that cancer cells may be present, but where they came from in the body?

Then after early detection (important in most cancers) further tests could be done to see if an issue exists or not and what treatments may be needed to kill it.

Well – that’s exactly the test some pretty smart researchers in Sweden have come up with …

Take a look at the article below to see why this might just be pretty exciting news …

New test can identify cancer from a single drop of blood with 96% accuracy

This won’t hurt a bit.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

PETER DOCKRILL
13 NOV 2015

… Researchers at the Umeå University in Sweden have developed a new RNA test of blood platelets that can detect, classify and pinpoint the location of cancer in the body by analysing a blood sample equivalent in size to just a single drop of blood.

… While the technique isn’t 100 percent perfect yet, it’s definitely showing promise. The researchers’ blood-based RNA testing method enabled them to identify cancer with 96 percent accuracy – a pretty stunning achievement for such a comparatively non-invasive ‘liquid biopsy’.

… The authors of the study aren’t suggesting that this kind of ‘liquid biopsy’ method should replace other cancer detection systems, but it’s clear that if the technique can be refined it could hold huge promise for physicians and patients, especially with regard to enabling simpler means of catching the disease at its outset.

“In the study, nearly all forms of cancer were identified,” said Nilsson, “which proves that blood-based biopsies have an immense potential to improve early detection of cancer.”