A milestone in the diagnostics: New blood test to detect breast cancer quickly

A new method for the diagnosis of breast cancer detects the disease with the help of so-called biomarkers and can thus extend previously common diagnostic procedures such as mammography, ultrasound or MRI, such as the University hospital of Heidelberg and the company HeiScreen GmbH reported on Thursday. In a recent study on 500 breast cancer patients the blood test had achieved a hit rate of 75 percent.

The experts speak of a “milestone in the breast cancer diagnostics”. The blood test was “a new, revolutionary way to detect cancer in the breast non-invasively and quickly with the help of biomarkers in the blood,” said Christof Sohn, Medical Director of the Heidelberg University women’s hospital. The procedure, over the the “Bild”newspaper first reported, according to the researchers, also much less stressful for women, because it is not painful and also not with exposure to radiation.

Marksmanship at 75 percent

The blood test is based on the principle of the so-called Liquid Biopsy. It can be obtained from body fluids such as blood, urine, or saliva, information on diseases and substances of tumor cells messengers will be examined. In the blood of breast cancer patients, the researchers were able to identify, therefore, 15 different biomarkers, with the help of small tumors are detectable.

In a study of more than 900 women – 500 of them with breast cancer have been investigated in the past twelve months. The accuracy of the new blood test was the breast cancer patients, therefore, at 75 percent. In the case of the 50-Year-olds, the rate was 86 percent, even higher among the over-50-Year-olds, the rate was 60 percent. In the further course of the study, the use of the test in other cancer types such as ovarian cancer should be explored.

2018 70,000 women affected by breast cancer

In addition, the blood could provide a test in the future for more information about cancer diseases. So, on the basis of biomarkers, a metastasis, or a relapse will be detected early. The biomarkers can also provide information about whether a treatment responsive. The specially founded company HeiScreen plans later this year for a market introduction of the blood tests.

Breast cancer in Germany is the most common cancer in women. In the past year, about 70,000 women affected to breast cancer, approximately 30 percent of new Cancer cases overall. In the case of early detection, the chance of a cure with a 95 percent is very high.