Scientists Design Test to Detect Early Pancreatic CancerYahoo Contributor Network
By Vonda J. Sines October 24, 2013 6:06 PM
U.S. researchers have developed a simple blood test that might detect signs of early-stage pancreatic cancer. Although their study involved blood samples from just 42 patients, the results are encouraging for detecting this type of cancer before it's so difficult to treat.
A team of Johns Hopkins University researchers designed a test that looks for tiny genetic alterations that could be the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer, according to ScienceDaily. Their findings appeared in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
Experts consider pancreatic cancer lethal because it isn't usually found until it has spread beyond the pancreas. Most patients don't experience signs of the illness until it reaches an advanced stage. The Mayo Clinic reports that the most-common symptoms include jaundice of the skin and eyes, pain in the upper abdomen that might radiate to the back, weight loss, blood clots, loss of appetite, and depression.
Most people view pancreatic cancer dismally due to its low survival rate: less than 5 percent after five years. The National Cancer Institute estimates that doctors will diagnose an estimated 45,220 new cases in 2013, which represent 2.7 percent of all new cancer cases. Estimates suggest that 38,460 U.S. individuals will die of pancreatic cancer that year, which is 6.6 percent of all cancer deaths.
The Johns Hopkins team identified two genes -- BNC1 and ADAMTS1 -- in subjects with an early stage of the disease. The scientists did not find these genes in subjects without the illness or in individuals with a history of pancreatitis, a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer.
Within pancreatic cancer cells, they noted chemical changes to the two genes that altered the way they functioned without changing their underlying DNA sequence. The scientists concluded that the alterations were the result of the addition of a methyl group to the DNA and prevented the genes from manufacturing a specific protein product.
By using a sensitive test known as Methylation on Beads, developed at Johns Hopkins, they could spot the tiniest DNA strands of the genes with the added methyl groups. This procedure involves using nanoparticle magnets that grab molecules shed by tumors. These molecules are a sign that pancreatic cancer is present.
Among subjects with an early stage of invasive pancreatic cancer, the tests found the two genes in 97 percent of samples. Since surgery offers patients the best chance of beating the disease, detecting early illness, when the cancer is still small, could significantly raise the chances of survival.
After the procedure finds the two genes, the individual undergoes additional tests such as CT scans to locate the cancer. Once researchers successfully use the test to detect early pancreatic cancer on a larger tumor sample, they hope it will become a screening device for high-risk individuals, such as those with a family history of this type of cancer.
http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-design-test-detect-early-pancreatic-cancer-220600547.html
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