New blood test can detect Pancreatic cancer at early stage
New Delhi, May 18 (ANI): Researchers have developed a new blood test which could rapidly detect signs of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is tough to cure because it is usually not discovered until it has reached an advanced stage. But a new diagnostic test developed by researchers promise to detect the disease at early stage. Blood test for early cancer detection is known as liquid biopsies. They have the potential to detect cancer early on without having to do invasive surgical procedures like tumor biopsies. The test can rapidly screen a drop of blood for biomarkers of pancreatic cancer. It can provide results in less than an hour. To screen for pancreatic cancer in the blood, researchers are developing new methods that involve collecting and analyzing nano-sized biological structures called exosomes. The test is simple, apply a drop of blood on a small electronic chip, turn the current on, wait for few minutes, add fluorescent labels and look at the results under a microscope. If a blood sample tests positive for pancreatic cancer, bright fluorescent circles will appear. This test could be used as a primary screening strategy to identify patients who would subsequently need to undergo more expensive and invasive diagnostic methods like a CT scan, MRI or endoscopy
