New Blood Tests Can Find Invisible Cancers
By Rishi Ganesh
Cancer. The second biggest cause of death on the face of the planet. Almost everyone has had someone in their lives who has battled the brutal disease. And it’s not an easy war to win. Cancer mercilessly spreads into every part of the body, disrupting critical organs. It slowly replaces the body from the inside out, destroying essential functions in a massive wave. The uncontrollable growth that is trademark of cancer can only be preemptively defended: once it becomes extensive, it’s often too late.
But what makes cancer so dangerous?
One reason cancer is especially difficult to deal with because of the variety of ways it can kill you. It’s this massive variety – over 100 types of cancer have been documented – that makes it so hard to detect. And that’s the other thing that makes cancer so deadly. Most people don’t even know they have it. Until it’s too late. For this reason, scientists have long sought to figure out a solution to the question: if we can’t even see it, how do we know it’s there? To find this answer, we must look at how cancer forms.
Cancer works by taking over cells and re-writing their genetic instructions, causing them to “go rogue”, in a sense. These cells, which don’t serve any function, spread uncontrollably, destroying any cells in their way. Eventually, these cells interfere with neural pathways, blood vessels, the heart, the lungs, and other life functions. Without these, death is imminent. To create these malignant cells, methyl groups (which regulate genes in our DNA) 1 attach in an incorrect alignment, or are simply deficient. This newfound lack of regulation pushes the “go” button for carcinogenic genes.
Scientists, using these methyl groups, have developed an incredibly accurate test for over 50 cancer variants. Using “cell-free” DNA which has emptied from dead cells into the bloodstreams, methyl group levels are measured. A deficiency of these groups indicates that cancer may be present in the system, however small. By testing in multiple locations, the type of the cancer can be narrowed down. The test is a mind-boggling 99.3% accurate, according to a test of almost 7,000 separate blood samples. 2
This means that in the near future, many major types of cancer could be stopped before they even start.
Imagine a world without cancer. Many people would have families to spend time with, friends to share more memories. Potential stars would be able to spread their influence on humanity. The lives of so many cut short, no longer a recurring event. While we aren’t particularly close to being a world free of cancer, this is a promising, encouraging step in the right direction.
1 https://www.journal-advocate.com/2016/09/25/the-importance-of-methyl-groups-2/
2 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200330203241.htm
