New Research: Blood test over Mammograms?

This is huge because, while mammography is an effective tool for detecting signs of breast cancer, it often picks up false positives which can cause stress to the patient and increase healthcare costs. That search for a cure is why a team at the University of Leicester is conducting the UK’s largest breast screening clinic at Charing Cross Hospital, London.

Scientists are investigating a more accurate, less invasive test for breast cancer

Baring your breasts in front of strangers and having your flesh uncomfortably pressed between two pieces of plastic – a procedure commonly known as a mammogram – is the standard test for breast cancer.

In future, all you may need to do is have a simple blood test.

A study funded by Cancer Research UK is examining whether a blood test can be used to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.

It involves comparing DNA in the blood of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer with those who do not have the condition to see which DNA markers are consistent.

Scientists in Australia are hot on the test’s trail.

“The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is funding a study involving experts from around the country to see whether blood tests can be used for the early detection of cancer,” says Dr Alison Butt, director of research investment at NBCF.

“We’re looking for fragments of DNA in the bloodstream from early tumours. It’s an exciting time. There have been incredible advances in cancer research recently.”

Early detection crucial
An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report predicts the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer will rise from the current 37 cases a day to 47 cases a day in 2020 due to our ageing population. So those advances are needed – and they are already making a difference.

The AIHW report found breast cancer survival rates are up and early detection is part of that.

“This blood test could allow doctors to detect breast cancer very early on, before any physical signs appear, increasing a woman’s chance of survival,” Butt says.

Mammograms are unable to detect breast cancer until changes have occurred to the breast tissue. Some experts have also questioned the safety and efficacy of mammograms.

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