Now, a blood test to detect breast cancer early – Times of India

Chennai News

CHENNAI: Breast cancer may soon be detected in the early stages using a blood test, results of a clinical trial by the Cancer Institute in Adyar have shown. If a larger clinical trial confirms these findings, these blood tests may not just replace mammograms and physical examination, but will also help in early diagnosis and treatment, improving outcome.
The blood test looks for three gene markers in cell-free DNA drawn from the plasma of women, and identifies all stages of cancer, including those in the early stages when confined inside the ducts (non-invasive), scientists said.
“In patients with breast cancer, there is a reduction in the expression of three protective genes called SOSTDC1, WIF1 and DACT2 due to a mechanism called promoter methylation. When the test ascertains substantial ‘methylation’ in the genes, it returns positive,” said senior scientist Dr Thangarajan Rajkumar, who heads the institute’s department of molecular oncology.
“In our study, test results of all women with breast cancer returned positive. Nine out of 100 healthy people may be called positive, and they may require additional tests before they are declared negative. So, the sensitivity was 100% and specificity was near 91%,” he said.
The study was conducted on 218 women suffering from different stages of breast cancer (including non-invasive), 240 healthy women and others with non-cancerous tumours. The results of the study have been published in the journal Scientific Reports. “At least 16 women had early stage cancer and this test detected them as well. This is a big advantage of these tests,” Rajkumar said.
‘Aim is to catch tumor as early as possible’
Oncologists said the chances of long-term survival is high for women if breast cancer is detected early. For instance, globally, the five-year survival rate of women with localised breast cancer is 99%. But the chance of survival drops when the cancer has spread – 86% for those whose cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and 27% if tumors have metastasised to other organs. “Our aim is to catch the tumor as early as possible,” said Amritha Sathyanarayanan, one of the scientists.
The disease is advanced in more than 57% of women in India before it is diagnosed. “Women don’t turn up for mammograms or clinical examination because they are shy or because they are scared of diagnosis or due to lack of access to mammograms,” said senior surgical oncologist Dr Sridevi V.
Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women globally. In TN, breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer as the number one cancer among women. The age-adjusted incidence rate for breast cancer in Chennai increased from 39.3 to 71.3 between 1985 and 2014. The institute has applied for a patent and plans to conduct a larger study including more patients with non-invasive cancer and those with harmless breast disease, for further validation. “We are now looking for funds of up to ₹35 lakh from philanthropists and corporates for this,” Rajkumar said.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/now-a-blood-test-to-detect-breast-cancer-early/articleshow/89489193.cms