Cancer blood test using DNA fragments brings hope for earlier detection, say researchers

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a machine-learning model to detect cancer in its early stages by looking at DNA fragments from cancer cells in the blood, they say.

Muhammed Murtaza, professor of surgery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health based in Madison, Wisconsin, led the study, which was published recently in Science Translational Medicine, a medical journal from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, according to the study’s press release.   "It should be focused on patients that have significant family histories or personal risk factors, or that have genetic syndromes that are associated with getting multiple cancers." "The sequence tells scientists the kind of genetic information that is carried in a particular DNA segment." Researchers hope that "this work will lead to a blood test for cancer detection and monitoring that will be available clinically in the next 2-5 years for at least some conditions."

"We’re incredibly excited to discover that early detection and monitoring of multiple cancer types are potentially feasible using such a cost-effective approach," said Murtaza in the press release.