Simple blood test can detect cervical cancer

[Night_Hawk]

Simple blood test can detect cervical cancer


The key is not the actual melting temperature of the thermogram, but the shape of the heat profile.

In a ground-breaking research, scientists have confirmed a more convenient, non-invasive test for detecting and staging cervical cancer.

Researchers at University of Louisville in Kentucky, US, found that using the heat profile from a person’s blood - called a plasma thermogram - can serve as an indicator for the presence or absence of cervical cancer, including the stage of cancer.


“We are able to demonstrate if the current treatment is effective so that clinicians will be able to better tailor care for each patient,” said Nichola Garbett, PhD, from University of Louisville.
To generate a plasma thermogram, a blood plasma sample is “melted” producing a unique signature indicating a person’s health status. This signature represents the major proteins in blood plasma, said the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.


The team demonstrated that the plasma thermogram profile varies when a person has or does not have the disease.
The key is not the actual melting temperature of the thermogram, but the shape of the heat profile, the study added.
The team believed that molecules associated with the presence of disease - called biomarkers - can affect the thermogram of someone with cervical disease.

They used mass spectrometry to show that bio markers associated with cervical cancer existed in the plasma.

“Using a person’s unique thermogram would provide the most accurate application of the test which could be used as part of a personalized medicine approach,” said Garbett.

The test could result in earlier detection, more effective therapeutic approaches and lowered healthcare costs for screening and treatment of cervical cancer,” the study concluded.


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-arti...data/health/2014/January/health_January14.xml

 

[ahaseeb]

this company does the same

http://www.eve-medical.com/

The founder got a grant for her research along with me. Very intelligent lady!

 

[Night_Hawk]

[h=1]'Heat maps' find cervical cancer[/h]

A new test that uses heat to examine blood can be used to detect cancer, according to US scientists.

The "plasma thermogram" examines the proteins inside blood, including those produced by tumours.
A study, in the journal Plos One, showed the test could detect cervical cancer and how advanced it was.
Cancer Research UK said thermograms might improve detection, but more evidence on the accuracy and reliability was needed.
Screening for cervical cancer currently involves a looking for abnormal cells in a smear test and detecting high-risk viruses that can cause the disease.
The study, at the University of Louisville, used the plasma thermogram technology to analyse blood samples.
The sample will respond differently to heat depending on the types of proteins contained in the blood. It results in a thermogram - like a fingerprint - of the protein content.
The system was tested on 67 women with different stages of the cervical cancer to see if it could detect the differences between the patients and healthy people.
Lead researcher Dr Nichola Garbett said: "We have been able to demonstrate a more convenient, less intrusive test for detecting and staging cervical cancer."
She said the test could be used to determine which cancers needed to be treated and which needed monitoring.
"Comparing blood samples of patients who are being screened or treated against those thermograms should enable us to better monitor patients as they are undergoing treatment and follow-up," she added.
"This will be a chance for us to adjust treatments so they are more effective."
Dr Emma Smith, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This new approach could lead to improvements in the way we detect, treat and monitor cervical cancer, but this was a very small study so it's not yet known if it will be accurate and reliable enough for wider use.
"Early changes that can lead to cervical cancer often disappear naturally, so having a test that gives doctors a better indication of the risk posed by abnormal cells detected during a smear test could prevent some women receiving unnecessary treatment."
http://goo.gl/GNxhrd

 

[Sadia Hashmi]

'Heat maps' find cervical cancer

A new test that uses heat to examine blood can be used to detect cancer, according to US scientists.

The "plasma thermogram" examines the proteins inside blood, including those produced by tumours.
A study, in the journal Plos One, showed the test could detect cervical cancer and how advanced it was.
Cancer Research UK said thermograms might improve detection, but more evidence on the accuracy and reliability was needed.
Screening for cervical cancer currently involves a looking for abnormal cells in a smear test and detecting high-risk viruses that can cause the disease.
The study, at the University of Louisville, used the plasma thermogram technology to analyse blood samples.
The sample will respond differently to heat depending on the types of proteins contained in the blood. It results in a thermogram - like a fingerprint - of the protein content.
The system was tested on 67 women with different stages of the cervical cancer to see if it could detect the differences between the patients and healthy people.
Lead researcher Dr Nichola Garbett said: "We have been able to demonstrate a more convenient, less intrusive test for detecting and staging cervical cancer."
She said the test could be used to determine which cancers needed to be treated and which needed monitoring.
"Comparing blood samples of patients who are being screened or treated against those thermograms should enable us to better monitor patients as they are undergoing treatment and follow-up," she added.
"This will be a chance for us to adjust treatments so they are more effective."
Dr Emma Smith, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This new approach could lead to improvements in the way we detect, treat and monitor cervical cancer, but this was a very small study so it's not yet known if it will be accurate and reliable enough for wider use.
"Early changes that can lead to cervical cancer often disappear naturally, so having a test that gives doctors a better indication of the risk posed by abnormal cells detected during a smear test could prevent some women receiving unnecessary treatment."
http://goo.gl/GNxhrd

and what about ca 125? it cant detect carcinoma? it is also a simple test.

 

[Night_Hawk]

[h=2]Definition[/h]By Mayo Clinic Staff
[h=3]Living With Cancer[/h]

A CA 125 test measures the amount of the protein CA 125 (cancer antigen 125) in your blood.
Many different conditions can cause an increase in CA 125. These include uterine fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and cirrhosis, as well as pregnancy and normal menstruation. Certain cancers, including ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal and fallopian tube, also can cause CA 125 to be released into the bloodstream.
A CA 125 test isn't accurate enough to use for cancer screening in all women — especially premenopausal women — because many benign conditions can increase the CA 125 level. What's more, CA 125 levels are normal in many women with early-stage ovarian cancer.

[h=2]Why it's done[/h]By Mayo Clinic Staff


You may have a CA 125 test for several reasons:

• To monitor cancer treatment. If you've been diagnosed with ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer, your doctor may recommend a CA 125 test on a regular basis to monitor your condition and treatment. But such monitoring hasn't been shown to improve the outcome for women with ovarian cancer, and it might lead to additional and unnecessary rounds of chemotherapy or other treatments.
• To screen for ovarian cancer if you're at high risk. If you've been identified as being at high risk of developing ovarian cancer due to a very strong family history of the disease or because you have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, your doctor may recommend a CA 125 test as one way to screen for the disease. There is no evidence that screening women with CA 125 decreases the chance of dying from ovarian cancer. An elevated level of CA 125 could prompt your doctor to put you through unnecessary and possibly harmful tests, so carefully discuss with your doctor the risks and benefits of having this test.
• To check for cancer recurrence. Rising CA 125 levels may indicate that ovarian cancer has come back after treatment. Again, however, regular monitoring of CA 125 has not been shown to improve outcomes for women with ovarian cancer and may lead to additional and unnecessary rounds of chemotherapy or other treatments.

Your doctor may suggest a CA 125 test it's suspected that you have ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer. However, a CA 125 test cannot diagnose these diseases. Only a biopsy of tissue can confirm a diagnosis of these cancers. Other tests that may be helpful in evaluating these cancers include a transvaginal or pelvic ultrasound and computerized tomography (CT).


[h=2]How you prepare[/h]
If your blood is being tested only for CA 125, you can eat and drink normally before the test.


[h=2]Results[/h]By Mayo Clinic Staff


Results of the CA 125 test are measured in units per milliliter (U/mL). The normal range for CA 125 is less than 35 U/mL.
If your CA 125 level is higher than normal, your doctor will likely repeat the test. You may have a benign condition, or the test result could mean that you have ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer. But CA 125 is not a definitive diagnostic test for cancer, so your doctor will evaluate the results along with those of other tests that may be ordered.
If you've been previously diagnosed with ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer, a decreasing CA 125 level often indicates that the cancer is responding to treatment. A rising CA 125 level may indicate a return or continued growth of the cancer.
For specific information about what your CA 125 test results mean, talk with your doctor
http://tinyurl.com/mvmh4z2

 

[AliciaS]

Thanks for sharing this to us. This is actually helpful so we can avoid unnecessary treatments and tests. The Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of the Sciences, has created a report describing trends in health care spending. Among other results, the IOM found that an enormous quantity of cash is down to healthcare waste, or on anything but helping individuals. Medical waste, such as unneeded treatments and administrative overhead, makes up about $750 billion per year. This is even more than the budget for our military.