Blood tests to identify more than 20 types of cancer?

A blood test has been developed that can detect more than 20 cancers, including difficult-to-detect cancers such as pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer. The test determines the cancer with 89% accuracy, and the false diagnosis rate is low.

The blood test was developed by Grail, a company funded by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. The developed blood test is to examine the DNA methylation pattern of cfDNA (Cell Free DNA) present in the blood. cfDNA is DNA released into the blood when blood cells die, but also flows out when cancer cells destroy immunity. The cfDNA released by cancer cells sometimes causes abnormal DNA methylation. So, if you test your blood, you can tell if you have cancer.

A team of researchers at the Harvard Medical University’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) analyzed the blood of 1,500 cancer patients and 2,000 non-cancer patients using a blood test method developed by Grail. As a result of the analysis, for the cancer detection rate with a high mortality rate, the stage I cancer detection rate was 32%, the stage II cancer detection rate was 76%, the stage III was 85%, and the IV was 93%. It is said that it was 0.6%.

In addition, the subjects suffered from more than 20 cancers, including breast and rectal cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer. It is said that this blood test also specified 89% accuracy as well as the primary area where cancer occurred for the first time in the body. The researchers say that generalization of this blood test may lead to effective treatment for many cancer patients. Related information can be found here .