ONCOLOGY
Targeting cancer: new research
New approaches to screening and treatment of cancer are under development, aimed at speeding up diagnosis and improving outcomes. Researchers presented their latest findings at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference.
At the recent National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference, held in Liverpool, scientists revealed that they have identified more than 800 markers in the blood of cancer patients that could help lead to a single blood test for early detection of many types of cancer in future. This is the first time that cancer-specific blood markers have been comprehensively reviewed and identified for further clinical development. This study, by the UK Early Cancer Detection Consortium, funded by Cancer Research UK, has analysed 19,000 scientific papers and found more than 800 biomarkers. The aim of this research is to develop a
screening test from a single blood sample for multiple cancer types. All cancers produce markers in the blood, so it could be feasible to develop a general screening test for many different forms of the disease. In the UK, survival rates for cancer are lower than in some other western countries, part of which may be related to late diagnosis. But developing more ways to spot cancers earlier, including research into new screening technologies such as this could help give more options for curative treatment, and save more lives in the future. In the UK, cancer is most often detected after patients present symptoms to their doctor, with a small proportion being detected through any of the three national screening programmes for breast,
bowel, and cervical cancer. This study could open the way for less invasive, new screening tests that could detect more cancers, possibly including some rare types, at an early stage when they are more likely to be treatable. Study author Professor Ian Cree, a Cancer Research UK funded scientist at the University of Warwick and University Hospital in Coventry, said: “This is a new approach to early detection and the first time such a systematic review has been done. A single blood-based screening test would be a game changer for early detection of cancer which could help make it a curable disease for many more patients. We believe that we’ve identified all the relevant biomarkers; the next step is working out which ones work the best for spotting cancers.” The identified biomarkers will be
reviewed and categorised before they are developed further in clinical laboratory studies. Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK’s director of early diagnosis, said: “This is an innovative and promising new approach and, although in its early stages, it shows how our increased understanding of cancers’ ‘markers’ and new technologies are combining to offer new opportunities to detect cancer sooner. Diagnosing cancer at an early stage generally means more effective treatment and that translates into better survival.
Our goal over the next 20 years is that three in four cancer patients will survive at least ten years after their diagnosis.
APRIL 2015
Our goal over the next 20 years is that three in four cancer patients will survive at least ten years after their diagnosis.”
Childhood cancer Researchers at the NCRI Cancer Conference also highlighted the latest steps forward towards speeding up the diagnosis of childhood cancer. Newly-identified cancer cell fingerprints in the blood could one day help doctors diagnose a range of children’s cancers faster and more accurately. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, found unique molecular fingerprints for 11 types of children’s tumours, which could be used to develop blood tests to diagnose these cancers. This may eventually lead to a quicker,
more accurate way to diagnose tumours, and could also reduce the need for children to undergo surgery to get a diagnosis one day. The research was funded by Sparks, the children’s medical research charity, and Cancer Research UK.
Each year almost 1,600 children are diagnosed with cancer in the UK. These cancers tend to behave differently to cancers in adults and therefore require different treatments. The researchers uncovered the fingerprints left by the
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