Blood test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal tumor types. But a new study suggests that a simple blood test might help spot the disease earlier.

One of the main reasons for the lethal nature of this cancer is that most cancers are diagnosed too late once they have spread to other organs. Around 8 percent have spread to distant organs such as the liver or lungs, while another 10 percent have locally spread to major blood vessels. However, in the patients where cancer can be detected early and has not spread, a long-term cure is possible with surgical removal of the cancer with the surrounding lymph.

In this new study by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, researchers sought to find blood "markers" for pancreatic cancer in patients who are at increased risk for developing this cancer, such as those with a family history or heavy smokers. 

Researchers identified mutations in two genes, called BNC1 and ADAMST1; both these genetic markers were found in 81 percent of the tested blood samples of the pancreatic cancer patients. Still, an 81 percent accuracy rate is "far from perfect, the results are much more impressive than, for example, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test used to screen for prostate cancer, which has roughly a 20 percent success rate.

This study presents an encouraging step in the right direction though this was a very small study. The blood test must be studied in many more patients with early stage pancreatic cancer and healthy individuals to really know if it will be an accurate and reliable screening test for pancreatic cancer.