Swiss researchers make progress in the early detection of cancer
Published: Thursday, Dec 14th 2023, 12:30
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Cancer could be detected earlier with a new blood test. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) were able to use their new technology to distinguish healthy from sick people with an accuracy of around 85 percent, as the research institute announced on Thursday.
Detecting a developing tumor at a very early stage is crucial for the survival of patients, according to the PSI. However, detecting cancer in the body or monitoring the course of treatment is usually very time-consuming and often only takes place at a late stage when the signs become obvious.
According to PSI, the researchers have achieved a breakthrough in this area. With their new technique, they were able to determine whether a cancer is present based on blood samples. They were also able to correctly determine the type of tumor disease - melanoma, glioma or head and neck tumor. "This is the first time in the world that anyone has managed to do this," said research group leader G. V. Shivashankar, according to the press release. The researchers have published their findings in the journal "npj Precision Oncology".
Artificial intelligence in action
Specifically, the researchers were able to prove that changes in the organization of the cell nucleus of certain blood cells provide an indication of a tumour in the body. To do this, they used a fluorescence microscope to examine the so-called chromatin, the DNA packed into a kind of ball, in the cell nucleus of the blood cells. They fed these microscope images to an artificial intelligence (AI), which learned to recognize patterns in them.
According to the researchers, the new method can be applied in the future not only to the tumors studied but also to numerous other types of cancer. However, there is still a lot of work to be done before this procedure can be approved for clinical practice, the PSI announced. For example, studies with a larger number of participants are needed. However, Shivashankar does not doubt that it will be used in practice: "The method is ready", he said.
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