A major medical experiment in North America has generated significant interest - scientists have tested a blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer in the early stages, BBC News reports.
More than 25,000 people from the USA and Canada participated in the study. As a result, one in every hundred participants showed a risk of cancer. Subsequent examinations confirmed that more than half of them - about 62 percent - actually had cancer.
Interestingly, more than half of the identified cases were in the early stages of the disease. This indicates the importance of the new method in early diagnosis. The test correctly diagnosed the absence of cancer in healthy people in 99 percent of cases and correctly identified the source of cancer in 9 out of 10 cases.
The name of the test is Galleri, which was created by the American Grail company. The technology identifies DNA fragments released from cancer cells through blood. Currently, the test is also being tested through the UK National Health Service (NHS).
Experts note that the Galleri test's accuracy increases sevenfold when used in conjunction with standard screening for breast, lung, intestinal, or cervical cancer. This allows doctors to detect the disease at a much earlier stage.
At the same time, scientists from the British organization Cancer Research UK remind that the test can sometimes indicate changes that do not harm the body as cancer. Therefore, it is emphasized that for now it is necessary to take a cautious approach and conduct additional research.
Next year, the results of a three-year trial involving 140,000 patients will be presented in England. If the results are positive, the Galleri test is planned to be applied to another 1 million people.
According to Sir Harpal Kumar, a representative of the Grail company, the main goal is to expand the possibility of detecting and treating the disease not at a late, but at an early stage.
"Most patients die because the cancer was diagnosed late. We want to change this," he said.
Thus, a new era may begin in the medical world - the possibility of early detection of cancer through blood gives great hope in saving human lives.
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