One Step Closer to Early Cancer Detection with Liquid Biopsy (Blood Test)

There is currently no blood test that can detect cancer early! One of the most important areas of focus in cancer research is therefore early cancer detection strategies. In November 2018, Nature published a study announcing development of a liquid biopsy (blood test) capable of detecting cancer at an early stage using epigenetic abnormalities and an artificial intelligence application of the machine-learning type .

Researchers first profiled epigenetic changes, identifying thousands of differences specific to each cancer type. They then used a Big Data (large-scale data) approach in blood samples to identify cancer-associated DNAand applied machine learning to create classifiers capable of detecting its presence and determining the cancer type.

The research examined 7 different cancer types (lung, pancreatic, colorectal, blood, urinary tract and kidney), with tumor samples from 300 patients and samples from healthy people compared through circulating cell-free DNA analysis. Thus, in each sample, circulating plasma (cell-free) DNAwas matched with tumor DNA.

So What Does This Study Mean for Us?

• Early cancer diagnosis is one of the most important factors increasing treatment success. This test may enable early cancer diagnosis in the future.
• Liquid biopsy tests currently in use have no effect in detecting cancer early.

Note: So far, oncology has 2 FDA-approved liquid biopsies: one is for non-small cell lung cancerto identify EGFR mutations (cobas test). The other is the CellSearch system, which detects circulating cancer cells both at diagnosis and within 2 years after chemotherapy completion. Thus, both FDA-approved liquid biopsy tests are intended to help patients already diagnosed with cancer.

It must be emphasized that liquid biopsy tests for early cancer detection have no FDA approval.

• This study reports the initial results of the test. What distinguishes it from other tests is that it also incorporates machine learning (artificial intelligence) and epigenetic changes. Its accuracy must be demonstrated through further analyses and clinical studies involving large numbers of patients.
• How Is Cancer Diagnosed?
• Discovery of Hundreds of Mutations in Healthy Cells Caused Great Surprise
• We Do Not Recommend Liquid Biopsy for Early Cancer Detection in Healthy Individuals! Why?