Tag Archives: Cancer Screening

New Tao Brush Technique May Find More Female Pelvic Cancers Early

New Tao Brush Technique May Find More Female Pelvic Cancers Early
New Tao Brush Technique May Find More Female Pelvic Cancers Early

Ovarian and uterine cancers are often detected too late for effective treatment. Immuno oncology got a major boost recently with the development of an advanced Pap test that can provide early diagnosis.

Improving Early Detection of Female Pelvic Cancers

Researchers from McGill University and Johns Hopkins University teamed up to work on PapSEEK. This safe and minimally invasive test uses Pap samples from the uterus, cervix and blood to identify common genetic mutations in cancer DNA.

While the standard Pap test collects samples from the cervix, McGill professor Lucy Hopkins suggested that the team collect samples from the uterus as well to increase chances of detecting other types of cancer. They used a method called the Tao brush technique to improve the sensitivity of the test.

Going Beyond Traditional Testing

PapSEEK was tested on samples from more than 1,300 women from different hospital sites in different countries. Just over 600 of the samples were from patients with endometrial or ovarian cancer, while the others were healthy controls.

The researchers were able to detect 81 percent of endometrial cancers and 33 percent of ovarian cancers, with higher rates when the Tao brush technique was implemented. In addition, there were no false-positive results.

According to Gilbert, the Pap smear has reduced the number of cervical cancer deaths, but endometrial and ovarian cancers were going undetected. Gilbert believes that PapSEEK will be a valuable breakthrough, just as the original Pap test was.

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No More Biopsies – MRI Recommended for Prostate Cancer Screening

No More Biopsies - MRI Recommended for Prostate Cancer Screening
No More Biopsies – MRI Recommended for Prostate Cancer Screening

The collaborative efforts of a multi-institutional study published by JAMA Oncology is changing prostate cancer treatment protocols. Potential prostate cancer patients may no longer need to line up for biopsies. Instead, MRI-based prediction models are offering a new risk assessment option.

Bye-Bye Biopsy
In the study, researchers from the National Cancer Institute, University of Chicago, and University of Alabama at Birmingham found evidence that the inclusion of an MRI for prostate cancer patients can be used as a biomarker to decrease unnecessary biopsies. It was also determined that the MRIs helped maintain a high rate of diagnoses for clinically significant prostate cancers.

Hello MRI
Based on the data collected, the research points to MRI-based models as further offering the benefit of lower false-positive rates than the baseline model. This means 18% fewer men would be subject to unnecessary biopsies subsequent to false-positive diagnosis.

Next Destination: Improved Cancer Treatment
Co-Author of the study, UAB Department of Urology Assistant Professor and UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Associate Scientist Soroush Rais-Bahrami, M.D., points to the data’s far-reaching implications. The imaging biomarker is expected to optimize patient selection, as well as allow for the more accurate determination of risk factors and stratification.

What’s more, it will provide physicians with the opportunity to potentially reduce prostate cancer morbidity by enabling a more timely and accurate diagnosis, and thus a faster, more individualized treatment response for prostate cancer treatment patients.

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Prostate Screening Using PSA Tests Appears to Miss Many Aggressive Cancers

Prostate Screening Using PSA Tests Appears to Miss Many Aggressive Cancers
Prostate Screening Using PSA Tests Appears to Miss Many Aggressive Cancers

The healthcare community has long promoted early detection as one of the keys to successful cancer treatment. In the UK, where prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in men, experts are referring to the corresponding PSA test as a “blunt tool” that has no life-saving benefit.

The Merits and Drawbacks of PSA Testing

A PSA test measures a specific protein in the blood that increases when cancer cells are present. Any man over the age of 50 in the UK can currently request a PSA test from his general practitioner.

In response to a debate about whether or not the country’s National Health Service should institute a national prostate cancer screening program, Cancer Research UK funded a study to evaluate the effectiveness of PSA testing. Subjects included 400,000 men between the ages of 50 and 69.

Results showed that death rates among men in the group were identical, regardless of whether or not they received a PSA test. The screening failed to detect several cases of aggressive prostate cancer while causing unnecessary stress by flagging benign tumors.

Should Men Undergo Prostate Cancer Screening?

Dr. Emma Turner, a member of the research team, stated the need for more accurate testing that would facilitate early prostate cancer treatment. In the meantime, Heather Blake of Prostate Cancer UK suggests that men over 50 discuss the pros and cons with their GP before opting for a PSA test.

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Liquid Biopsy Test for Cancer Has Problematic Accuracy Results

Liquid Biopsy Test for Cancer Has Problematic Accuracy Results
Liquid Biopsy Test for Cancer Has Problematic Accuracy Results

Early detection improves the chances of successful cancer treatment, so recent news of a “liquid biopsy” has encouraged the medical community. Unfortunately, the test is showing unacceptable levels of accuracy, leaving the procedure a long way from any real-world applications.

Controlled vs. Real World Conditions

CancerSEEK uses a blood sample for a battery of tests to measure tumor biomarkers and identify cancer-associated DNA mutations. During clinical studies, researchers obtained some promising results.

By the team’s own admission, the conditions were optimized to facilitate detection of cancer. Even so, most of the cancers detected were late-stage while the goal of screening was to find cancer in the early stages.

Accuracy problems in less-controlled environments became more clear in a 2017 study involving 40 prostate cancer patients who underwent liquid biopsies to fine-tune their therapy programs. Each sample was sent to two different labs with similar technology, but the results differed for more than half of the patients.

Are Liquid Biopsies the Answer?

Researchers are also questioning the full value of a positive result. While the test may detect the presence of cancer, it gives no clues as to the location of the tumor, unlike traditional screenings such as mammograms and CT scans.

Scientists will no doubt continue to study the science behind liquid biopsies, as detection of circulating tumor DNA can have other applications. The question remains whether liquid biopsies have a viable future as useful cancer screening.

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New Blood Test Created by Johns Hopkins to Screen for Eight Cancers

New Blood Test Created by Johns Hopkins to Screen for  Eight Cancers
New Blood Test Created by Johns Hopkins to Screen for Eight Cancers

Early detection often makes the difference in successful cancer treatment. Thanks to a newly developed blood test, doctors will soon be able to screen for eight of the more common types of cancer.

Focusing on Early Stage Cancer Detection

CancerSEEK was developed by a team of scientists at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. It screens for cancers of the ovaries, liver, stomach, pancreas, colorectum, lung and breast. Collectively, these types are responsible for more than 60 percent of cancer deaths in the United States.

Based on the idea that circulating tumor DNA mutations can be specific cancer markers, the researchers set out to study several hundred genes and 40 protein markers. They finally ended up with segments of 16 genes and eight proteins, with the small mutation panel minimizing the possibility of false-positive results.

According to Nickolas Papadopoulos, senior author of the study, the team was inspired by the concept of using combinations of drugs for cancer treatment. When the test was administered to 1,005 patients with non-metastatic cancer, its median overall sensitivity to cancer was 70 percent with only seven false-positives.

The Future of CancerSEEK

Researchers are proceeding to larger studies of CancerSEEK. They project that once the test is approved for use the cost will be less than $500, and primary care providers will be able to administer the test with other routine blood work.

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People of Color Can Still Get Skin Cancer and Melanoma – What to Know

People of Color Can Still Get Skin Cancer and Melanoma - What to Know
People of Color Can Still Get Skin Cancer and Melanoma – What to Know

A commonly-held misconception is that people of color have little risk of developing skin cancer. It’s true that melanoma occurs less frequently, but the consequences of skin cancer among African Americans are more serious than most realize.

How Melanoma Affects People of Color

Data from a study published last July in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed that people of color are most likely to be diagnosed with melanoma in its later stages, resulting in worse prognoses and lower overall survival rates.

Many believe that the higher percentage of melanin in darker skin protects from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. A recent survey revealed that 63 percent of African Americans never use sunscreen, despite the fact that they actually can be susceptible to sunburn.

Causes and Warning Signs of Melanoma

Genetics and environmental factors also play a role in the development of melanoma, as they did with iconic reggae singer Bob Marley. The Jamaican native died at the age of 36 from acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), a form of cancer that appears on the palms of hands and the soles of feet.

Dr. Martitza I. Perez, senior vice president of The Skin Cancer Foundation, recommends that people of all ethnicities watch for the warning signs of melanoma:

• A sore or growth that doesn’t heal

• An ulcer or scaly red patch that crusts or bleeds

• Moles that are asymmetrical, larger than a pencil eraser, or display any sign of change

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