Click here to read in Italian, published in La Voce Di New York
"Early detection" screenings are recommended for those who are at high risk of the disease.
Thanks to "early detection" screening tests, even in the absence of symptoms, cancer diagnostics, and clinical practices are going to significantly change. Therefore, the main objective of cancer researchers is to promote a wider implementation of these early detection tests.
With the use of MCED tests (Multi-Cancer Early Detection), it is now possible to detect several cancers precisely and specifically in "seemingly healthy" individuals—those who are "symptomless"—using only a small blood sample. A blood sample that can detect up to 50 different types of this disease paves the way for oncological screening via "liquid biopsy", with the potential to integrate with tests previously known as "early diagnosis".
The MCED test is based on the study of the patient's blood DNA and is recommended for individuals between the ages of 50 and 70 who are living in contact with carcinogens and are at a high risk of disease.
At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022 Congress, new data were presented supporting the accuracy of the results from early multiple cancer tests (MCED). These data have generated high hopes for cancer treatments, as they can reduce the damage caused by a delay in diagnosis, and the possibility of expanding these tests to the entire population, with sustainability from an economic standpoint.
The new blood tests detect "the signal" brought on by minimal amounts of "tumor DNA sequences", which are released into the blood and differ from "non-tumor" DNA. In fact, tumors release into the blood DNA fragments containing certain epigenetic markers, known as methylations, which are essential for a variety of cellular functions and for the expression of their genes. The samples are subsequently categorized by an algorithm as malignant or non-cancerous based on the methylation patterns of circulating DNA.
Although this test depends on the type of cancer and the stage at which it is discovered, this mathematical method can provide an early diagnosis. The MCED test can be followed by additional routine tests for more precise detection and with an accuracy precision of 93% as in fact there aren't many false positive results.
High specificity and a good capacity to locate the anatomical location of the tumor are two benefits of MCED tests to guide efficient and successful diagnostic studies.
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