Health & Science

THE global medical world is a step closer to making a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test, that can detect over 50 types of cancer, available to select candidates: those who are age 50 and older, asymptomatic, and considered high risk for the disease.

Findings from the third and nal phase of the Circulating Cell-free Genome Atlas (CCGA) study have been published in the journal Annals of Oncology.

Study ndings con rm that the test is pro cient in detecting and classifying cell-free DNA (cfDNA), or tumour byproducts deposited in the bloodstream of a person with cancer. e test can also identify the site of the originating tumour, even in patients with no cancerrelated symptoms.

Eric A. Klein, MD, rst author of the paper and Chairman Emeritus of the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute, says these ndings corroborate those of a previous CCGA sub-study but on a larger scale and with an independent validation set. He says these results set the stage for a new cancer screening paradigm.

“With the multi-cancer early detection tests, we have the opportunity to diagnose and treat cancer earlier. Used alongside other screening modalities, this could signi cantly reduce cancer- related deaths,” he says. For some high-mortality cancers – including liver, pancreatic and esophegal – this is the rst screening test available.

Currently, only ve cancer screening tests are available for patients in the Western world; this includes tests for prostate, lung, breast, colorectal and cervical cancers. ey each have limitations, including varying levels of invasiveness, discrepancies in use across clinical practice and high false-

1. Margarine

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and everything you eat affects it. Most margarines, especially the solid kind, have trans fats. They raise your ‘bad’ cholesterol, lower your ‘good’ kind, and create inflammation throughout your body. Inflammation is linked to heart disease and stroke, two conditions that can give you an aged appearance.

2. Sodas and Energy Drinks

The more sodas and energy drinks you consume, the quicker the cells in your tissues age. In addition to the fizz, they have more calories and added sugar — seven to 10 teaspoons in 12 ounces — than any other beverage. Combined with the bacteria in your mouth, that sugar also forms acid that wears down your tooth enamel and causes decay. Other cons include weight gain and a higher risk of stroke and dementia.

Simple new blood test may now detect up to 50 cancers

positive rates, which can lead to over-diagnosis and excess treatment. e promise of this new testing is raising hopes that a new paradigm is afoot. It can detect the presence of circulating cfDNA through a single blood draw and is particularly e ective when it comes to identifying more lethal and later-stage cancers, believed to have more cfDNA.

However, this also underscores the importance of combining the MCED with existing screening tests until further re nements are made. “Prostate cancer, for example, sheds comparatively less DNA than other tumours, making it less likely to be detected by the test,” explains Dr. Klein, a urologic oncologist.

How does it work? A genomic sequencing technology elucidates methylation, or chemical changes in the DNA that control gene expression, coupled with a machine learning application that systematically identi es patterns of irregularities in the DNA indicative of cancer. ese patterns provide evidence as to where the cancer originated and can help further diagnostic testing.

7 foods that can age you badly

‘Remarkable, and striking, to see the difference ...

e MCED test is now available in the US by prescription only. e study evaluated the performance of the test in two cohorts: individuals already diagnosed with cancer (2,823) and those without a cancer diagnosis (1,254). It detected cancer signals from more than 50 types of cancer across all four stages of disease.

One frozen dinner can pack in half the sodium of a healthy daily diet. When you have too much salt, it causes you to drink more than normal and flood your kidneys. Any extra water will move to places in your body that have less salt, like your face and hands. That’s what makes you look puffy.

4.Processed Meats

Processed meats, like bacon, sausage, ham, and deli cuts, are smoked, cured, or salted so they’ll last longer without going bad. It’s what makes them both delicious and dangerous. The sodium and chemical preservatives cause inflammation that can wear your body down inside and out. A little inflammation is good: It helps your cells heal. Too much can cause heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. You can find free radicals in fried foods like like chips and doughnuts.

6. Baked Goods

Just because they’re not fried doesn’t mean are good. Baked goods like biscuits and cakes are high in artery-clogging fat that put on the pounds. They also don’t skimp on sugar, which can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, and tooth decay (among other things). Inflammation is another reason to skip them. The more inflammation you have, the higher your chances of arthritis, depression, Alzheimer’s, and some cancers.

7. Caffeine

Caffeine is a diuretic: it stimulates your brain and your need to urinate. This can cause dehydration. When you don’t have enough water, your skin stops releasing toxins. The backup makes you more prone to dry skin, psoriasis, and wrinkles.

e test’s overall sensitivity across cancer types and stages was 51.5%; sensitivity increased with each stage – the more advanced the disease, the more sensitive the test. e average rate of sensitivity in cancers stages I – III was 67.6% in 12 pre-speci ed cancers (anal, bladder, bowel, esophegal, stomach, head and neck, liver and bile-duct, lung, lymphoma, ovarian, pancreatic, and cancers associated with white blood cells), which account for almost two-thirds of cancerrelated deaths in the West e test’s speci city (also known as false-positive rate) was 99.5%, meaning that it found a false signal for cancer in only 0.5% of those tested.

In 88.7% of cases, the test correctly identi es the tissue in which the cancer was located, which could help decrease the time to diagnosis and allow physicians to facilitate treatment with greater e ciency.

Dr Klein says the team is satis ed with the promising ndings; they are hopeful that this technology could be extrapolated as a tool for cancer screening at a population level.

An update is expected soon.