Can Blood Biomarkers Predict Breast Cancer Before a Tumor Forms?

“Researchers have discovered that small things in blood such as microRNAs and pieces of tumour DNA, can be signs of breast cancer even before a lump forms. These changes in blood can be the first sign in some women who don't have any symptoms. This means that in the future a simple blood test could tell doctors much sooner than scans do now,” says Dr. Deepak Jha, Chief- Breast Surgery and Sr. Consult- Surgical Oncology, Artemis Hospitals.
But he warns that this field of study is still growing. No blood marker is accurate enough to take the place of current screening methods. Infection, inflammation, pregnancy, or other health problems can change blood signals, which can lead to false positives. Studies are combining several blood markers and using artificial intelligence to make the results more accurate.
“If these tests become reliable in the future, they could change how breast cancer is treated in big ways. They might help find women who are at risk years before a tumour actually forms. Instead of using the same schedule for everyone, screening could be tailored to each woman's unique biology,” says surgical oncologist Dr. Jha. They could help find cancer that has come back in women who have already been treated which would let doctors act more quickly.
Doctors may be able to spare patients unnecessarily aggressive breast cancer treatments by collecting and testing cancer cells in patients' blood, suggests research from the University of Michigan and the University of Kansas in the US. “Our goal is to identify biomarkers that distinguish patients who would benefit from aggressive interventions, including surgery, radiation, and anti-hormonal therapy, from those who may require only surgery or could safely forgo treatment,” said Fariba Behbod, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center and a co-corresponding author of the study.
Blood markers are a promising future tool for predicting breast cancer before any lump forms, but they are not yet ready for routine clinical use. For the time being, routine screenings such as mammography are still necessary.
Disclaimer: This article has been adapted from content originally published by etv bharat