Detection of five cancers viz. colon, lung, breast, stomach and womb at an early stage is now possible through a single blood test as US researchers find a striking signature in tumor DNA that occurs in these cancers.
Researchers at the National Institute Of Health identified that one gene in the body changes its chemical structure (methylation) when cancers such as breast, lung, colon, stomach, and womb are present in the body. The scientists think that methylation of the gene occurs when the body loses in the fight with the disease.
This is a breakthrough in the cancer research as now researchers hope to develop one single test that can detect all the aforementioned cancers at a very early stage.
The researchers developed a series of tests that revealed tellate methylation marks in the breast, colon, lungs, stomach, and womb and found that all the cancer types showed same methylation mark around the gene ZNF154. The methylation signature around the gene was found to be unique to cancers, reports ETHealthworld.
The researchers employed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the tumor DNA and then sequenced the DNA. The final result showed an elevated level of methylation at ZNF154 across different tumors.
The scientists verified the result with a computer program that checked the methylation marks in the DNA of patients suffering from cancer and normal individuals. The computer program with pre-fed information the researchers managed to detect cancaer-related methylation marks even when the amount of methylated molecules was reduced to 99 percent.
The blood tests that are used today require tissue removal from the targeted area with the help of colonoscopies and mammograms. But this procedure is much less invasive as compared to the presnt day tests.
The researchers are now doing translational research to develop a test that can detect cancer at a very early stage. An early detection of cancer will thus dramatically help to improve the survival rate of patients suffering from cancer.