The results of a clinical trial by the Cancer Institute in Adyar in Chennai have revealed this. 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 outcomes.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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 \u2018methylation\u2019 in the genes, it returns positive,\u201d said senior scientist Dr Thangarajan Rajkumar, who heads the institute\u2019s department of molecular oncology.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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%,\u201d 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 tumors.<\/p>\n
The results of the study have been published in the journal Scientific Reports. \u201cAt least 16 women had early-stage cancer and this test detected them as well. This is a big advantage of these tests,\u201d Rajkumar said.<\/p>\n
Oncologists said the chances of long-term survival are high for women if breast cancer is detected early. For instance, globally, the five-year survival rate of women with localized breast cancer is 99%. But the chance of survival drops when cancer has spread – 86% for those whose cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and 27% if tumors have metastasized to other organs. “Our aim is to catch the tumor as early as possible,” said Amritha Sathyanarayanan, one of the scientists.<\/p>\n
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 leading cancer among women globally. In TN, breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer as the number one cancer among women.<\/p>\n
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 \u20b935 lakh from philanthropists and corporates for this,” Rajkumar said.<\/p>\n
With this new discovery, a lot of lives can be saved early.<\/p>\n