Technology is improving human life in so many ways, that it is hard to imagine living without it. Scientists have successfully developed a revolutionary blood test, which can detect some of the most deadly cancers before symptoms even start.
The simple test, which is being termed similar to a ‘smoke detector,’ was developed by researchers at Swansea University Medical School UK. It works by not detecting the disease but by monitoring changes to red blood cells that occur when cancer is present, reported Daily Mail.
“The test can be likened to a ‘cancer smoke detector’ because a smoke detector does not detect the presence of fire in our homes, but the by-product – smoke,” said Professor Gareth Jenkins, who is leading the study.
“This test detects the ‘smoke’ – the mutated blood cells. The old adage of no smoke without fire also applies to ‘no cancer without mutation’,” he added.
The ‘smoke detector’ test comes after studying 300 persons including healthy people, patients with signs of pre-cancer and those with oesophageal cancer. The oesophageal cancer is regarded as one of cancer deadliest forms with only 15 percent of people diagnosed with it surviving more than five years.
However, the bad news is that the disease in most cases is discovered late and after following a painful endoscopy, which sees a tube with a camera inserted down the patient’s throat, reported Express. Therefore the newly created test which is also cost effective, could save thousands of lives.
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