New blood test may detect cancer years before any symptoms appear

As a doctor, I rely heavily on bloodwork. I love all the nuances it can reveal about things going on in my patient’s bodies that we may never have known about otherwise.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I came across news of an experimental blood test currently under development that may be able to detect cancer years before any symptoms appear…

Introducing the PanSeer

This new test is called the PanSeer assay. It’s being developed by a company called Singlera Genomics, and it’s designed to look for DNA methylation markers in the blood. (DNA methylation is a process that modifies the function of the DNA—cells use this process to control gene expression, for better or for worse.)

Specifically, the PanSeer screens for a DNA signature called CpG methylation. And scientists were able to use it to successfully detect five different types of cancer in 91 percent of samples from people who would go on to be diagnosed with cancer over the next four years.

Of course, as promising as this finding is, more research is definitely still necessary.

As I mentioned, this most current study looked at five of the most common types of cancers—stomach, esophagus, colorectal, lung, and liver.

And if you happen to get a positive result, for example, it only really narrows the search for cancer down to those five places. But you’ll still have to look for the cancer. So it’s not a perfect test… though it certainly shows amazing potential.

What sets this test apart from the rest

It’s pretty exciting to imagine that a blood test could detect cancer without relying on the widespread use of invasive screens like colonoscopy or mammography. But the truth is, this kind of technology has surfaced a number of times in recent years.

In fact, a company called GRAIL is working on a test that they claim can detect more than 50 types of cancer, as well as identify the tissues where the cancers started. Another blood test—called CancerSEEK, which I shared with you back in 2018—can identify eight common cancers using tumor DNA and protein biomarkers.

But most of the blood tests making headlines have used blood samples from people who already have a known diagnosis. And a lot of the cancer blood tests in the works are intended for use after diagnosis.

For example, there’s a colon cancer test that looks at circulating tumor DNA that’s pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval right now. But it would be used to look for hidden disease in patients who have had surgery and are presumed “cured”—and to help identify any tumor that may have been left behind.

So, what sets the PanSeer results apart? Well, the blood tests came from presumably asymptomatic patients who had not yet been diagnosed with cancer—and who researchers followed for a full ten years.

That’s why I’m quite hopeful. As a reader of mine, you already know how much I love a good non-invasive screening test. Still, such tests are often tricky and controversial… and I don’t expect the PanSeer to be any different in that regard.

So all I can do right now is promise to keep you updated on any new developments—right here in my Reality Health Check, and in my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives. Until then, you know the drill—stay healthy by eating right, exercising more, and getting a good night’s sleep, every single day. As always, that’s the best insurance against cancer you’ve got.

For more details on my top recommended, simple, science-based strategies to fight cancer, take a look at my Essential Cancer Protocol. To learn more about this innovative online learning tool, or to enroll today, click here now.

Source:

“Experimental Blood Test Detects Cancer Years Before Symptoms.” Medscape Medical News, 07/29/20. (medscape.com/viewarticle/934792)


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