A blood test that can detect the early signs of one of the most deadly cancers in just 45 minutes has been developed.
The revolutionary test has been shown in trials to diagnose pancreatic cancer even before patients have symptoms.
Researchers say the test costs less than a penny per patient, and could improve survival rates for the disease which affects more than 10,000 patients in the UK every year.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the cancer has spread and treatment options are limited. This is because patients often have no symptoms, or they have signs that could be confused with another condition.
Nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and pain at the top of the tummy are all common symptoms of the disease. It can also cause the whites of the eyes and skin to turn yellow – known as jaundice – as well as loss of appetite, a high temperature and fatigue.
About 9,500 people die from pancreatic cancer every year in the UK.
Existing blood tests, such as the CA 19-9 tumour marker test, are offered on the NHS but are rarely accurate enough to spot the disease in its early stages.
But the new test, called the PAC-MANN, or Protease-Activated Magnetic Nanosensor, could change this. It looks for specific proteins found in the blood of people with early-stage pancreatic cancer.
Nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and pain at the top of the tummy are all common symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Pictured: File photoÂ
A revolutionary test has been shown in trials to diagnose pancreatic cancer even before patients have symptoms. Pictured: File photo
Last week, a US study found the test is 85 per cent accurate when used alongside existing testing. It can also track how well treatment is working by analysing whether the number of these proteins is growing or falling.
‘The problem with pancreatic cancer is that we often catch it too late,’ said Dr Jared Fischer, cancer expert at Oregon Health And Science University and author of the study.
‘Our goal with PAC-MANN is to give clinicians a tool that can detect the disease much earlier, when more treatment options are available and there is a better chance of survival.’
‘With pancreatic cancer we often catch it too late.’
