An Israeli company has developed a new type of liquid biopsy that could confirm a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma in a matter of hours. Much of the challenge of treating mesothelioma lies in the fact that it is most often diagnosed when it is very far advanced, and the promise of a fast and simple blood test that could diagnose the rare, asbestos-related cancer at an earlier stage is providing hope for increased survival times.
Liquid Biopsy Could Eventually Target Mesothelioma
The new cancer blood test targets metabolic changes that immune system cells undergo when all types of cancer is present, including mesothelioma. Though the Israeli firm’s testing is currently focused on lung cancer, it has proven extremely accurate, and researchers hope that it will eventually be refined to include a version targeting malignant mesothelioma, as well as other cancers.
Researchers agree that early diagnosis is the key to longer survival for mesothelioma, as well as for other forms of cancer. Different types of cancer cells each undergo their own metabolic changes when they fight cancer, and the chemicals that comprise the Israeli test respond to the presence of those changes.
New Test Represents a Game Changer
A blood test for mesothelioma and other cancers has long been a goal for researchers and physicians. Blood tests are simple, non-invasive, and cost effective. The diagnostic kit that the Israeli team has developed contains 16 chemical stimulants that evoke a response from lung cancer cells based on what is known about that type of cancer’s immunometabolism.
Early tests have shown that the test successfully identified lung cancer at its earliest stage. According to Professor Yochai Adir, chairman of the Israeli Association for Lung Disease, “Based on the findings of clinical research we conducted, Savicell Diagonostic’s test is a promising breakthrough for detection of lung cancer (I, II), a leading factor for lung mortality. More importantly, the test has high sensitivity (92%) and specificity (76%) in detecting lung cancer at early disease stages (I, II), and in our test new appearing lung nodules were as small as 3mm.”
Though mesothelioma and lung cancer are different diseases, they share many characteristics, and many of the innovations being developed for the treatment of lung cancer can help those with the asbestos-related disease. For information on how these developments can affect you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
