The study, published in Cancer Discovery, received support from various entities, including the National Institutes of Health, the Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The research focused on samples from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a National Institutes of Health-funded project investigating factors associated with heart conditions like heart attacks and strokes.
Bert Vogelstein, senior author of the study and co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins, highlighted the promising potential of MCED tests in detecting cancers at a very early stage. Nickolas Papadopoulos, co-author of the study and Ludwig Center investigator, stressed the benefits of early cancer detection, suggesting that it could lead to more positive outcomes with appropriate follow-up care.
Among the study participants, eight individuals tested positive for a multicancer early detection (MCED) lab test when their blood samples were collected. All eight participants were subsequently diagnosed with cancer within four months. Additionally, in six cases, tumor-related mutations were also identified in blood samples taken 3.1–3.5 years before the cancer diagnosis.
Researchers utilized advanced sequencing techniques to analyze blood samples from 26 individuals in the ARIC study who were diagnosed with cancer within six months of sample collection, comparing them to samples from 26 similar participants without cancer diagnoses.
In an intriguing discovery, researchers have found that genetic material released by tumors might be detectable in the bloodstream up to three years prior to a cancer diagnosis. This revelation has sparked interest in the medical community.
Wang highlighted the significance of detecting these changes years in advance, emphasizing the potential for timely intervention. Identifying tumors at an earlier stage could lead to more effective treatment options.
Yuxuan Wang, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, expressed astonishment at the early identification of cancer-related mutations in the blood.
