The early diagnosis of many types of cancer through a simple blood test it is a matter of fact. In the USA the test Gallery is for sale, promoted by the Californian industry Grail, at a price of one thousand dollars. In Great Britain the test has been successfully tested on five thousand patients and one million volunteers are already in line. There are 50 types of tumors that can be diagnosed promptly with the test. In Italy the blood test has been carried out for years, but it is limited to the prediction of risk of recurrence.
Currently in Italy the mortality of cancer patients is decreasing, such as for breast cancer. Although in decline, cancer still remains the second leading cause of death, diagnosed in approximately 400,000 people each year. The experimentation path is not finished yet, but it has finally been found an effective tool for the timely diagnosis of oncological pathologies.
Rediscover the pleasure of informing yourself too!
Your support helps protect our independence by allowing us to continue to produce quality journalism that is open to all.
How the blood test works: the “liquid biopsy”
Scientific research for the study and the treatment of cancer is promoted in all Countries of the world: universities, laboratories and pharmaceutical industries. The revolution of this scientific discovery lies in the promise of an effective one prevention.
For decades, the scientific world has suspected that cancer cells reach the blood early, whole or in fragments. This material carries with it DNA alterations. With the introduction of modern sequencing techniques it has been possible to identify the specific traits of DNA dispersed in millions of genetic sequences and also the specific type of neoplasm and its location.
L’Galleries exam in question is a liquid biopsy which it is able to identify the presence of DNA fragments or specific tumor proteins in the blood. The test works even when the tumor is still minimal in size and the metastases are microscopic and, therefore, not visible with traditional technologies. Early diagnosis of cancer can detect the presence of 50 types of cancer located in the colorectal, lung, liver, pancreas, cervix, ovary and breast. For other types of cancer, the screening program has not yet proved to be adequate and research continues.
have one cancer diagnosis in the initial stagetherefore at an early stage when the patient does not have any symptoms, it is vital because the doctors will be able to intervene immediately with concrete possibilities of recovery from the tumor. In fact, the risk of developing a fatal metastatic disease is related to the size of the tumor at the time of diagnosis and early diagnosis, when the tumor is still small, is a crucial element for patient care.
In Italy, the new blood tests for the diagnosis of cancer are planned
In the USA the test is already on the market, marketed by a private American company, while in Great Britain the British Health Service has taken over the experimentation. At the moment, the Galleri test it is not yet available in ItalyHowever, many companies are investing in this technology. Dr. Silvia Marsoni, head of the Precision Oncology Laboratory at IFOMInstitute of Molecular Oncology of the AIRC foundation, talks about a revolution in the treatment of tumors.
The test has some limits as it does not cover all forms of cancer and has ahigh rate of false positives. Furthermore, the number of false negatives is between 2-3%. Despite these limitations, the scientific importance of the test lies in the great evolution of cancer screening in the early diagnosis of important and frequent forms of cancer.
The improvement does not only concern the primary tumor, but also the metastasis. Until now, a patient who had undergone surgery for colon cancer was forced to receive chemotherapy anyway because it was not possible to make sure of the radical excision of the tumor and the presence or absence of microscopic metastases. With liquid biopsies, it will be possible to ascertain whether there are still cancer cells. Their absence will thus avoid the administration of a chemotherapy treatment. This, but only in some cases, already happens in Italy such as blood samples tested by Natera that identify residual tumor DNA for genetic changes in the tumor.
There is optimism in scientific circles. Through the early detection blood test of cancer you will have a diagnosis of the tumor in the initial stage with the possibility of intervening immediately and definitively. Even in the next phase, the use of chemotherapy and instrumental investigations such as CT scans will be reduced. In a decade, many scientists argue, false negatives will be drastically reduced. Furthermore, the test will be able to identify more and more types of cancer, even in the very early stages of growth, when definitive healing is still possible.