Blood-based gene test catches 90% of early pancreatic cancers, study finds

Researchers at Kanazawa University have developed a blood-based gene expression test capable of detecting early-stage pancreatic cancer with 90% accuracy, according to Meridia. The finding offers a potential breakthrough for a disease that is notoriously difficult to catch before it spreads, often leaving patients with few treatment options.

MeridiaBlood gene test detects 90% of early-stage pancreatic cancers

Pancreatic cancer currently has a very low survival rate, reported at 8.5% in Japan, primarily because most cases are diagnosed too late for curative surgery, news-medical.net noted. Early-stage cases account for only 2-3% of all diagnoses due to the lack of reliable screening tools and the absence of early symptoms.

news-medical.netBlood-based gene expression tests show potential for early pancreatic cancer detection

"Blood gene test detects 90% of early-stage pancreatic cancers"

That high detection rate in a simple blood draw could dramatically shift the outlook for patients if the test is validated in larger clinical settings. The researchers believe the approach may enable screening for high-risk populations long before conventional imaging would pick up a tumor.

"These blood tests could potentially improve long-term survival by enabling screening before symptoms appear"

Catching pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage would open the door to surgical removal and other curative treatments, which are currently impossible for the vast majority of patients. The Kanazawa team's work adds momentum to a broader push for liquid biopsy technologies that could transform cancer screening across multiple tumor types.