Scientists believe that a “breakthrough” test that uses dried blood samples could detect prostate cancer in 15 minutes or less.
Researchers at Aston University have developed a new method that analyses crystal-like structures in dehydrated blood.
Professor Igor Meglinski, from the university’s Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, said the non-invasive technique can detect prostate cancer before symptoms appear with up to 90% accuracy.
He said: “This breakthrough opens new avenues for cancer diagnosis and monitoring, representing a substantial leap forward in personalised medicine and oncology.”
For a man with early-stage prostate cancer, radiotherapy is a common treatment.
— Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) August 28, 2024
However, for some men microscopic amounts of their cancer may have spread.
This can make it more likely that their cancer will come back.#ProstateCancer l #MensHealth pic.twitter.com/dPYUn0szCL
How is prostate cancer detected at the moment?
No national screening programme for prostate cancer currently exists and the standard blood test, which measures levels of a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA), is not accurate enough.
Rectal exams and tissue biopsies are often needed to diagnose the disease and can be uncomfortable and invasive.
How was the discovery made?
The study where the team analysed 108 dry blood smear samples from healthy volunteers as well as those who had prostate cancer is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Examinations of the protein structures in the blood samples were carried out by the researchers using a technique known as new polarisation-based image reconstruction.
They focused on how proteins change their 3D shape and join together during early stages of the disease, conducting a detailed layer-by-layer analysis of dry blood smears.
If you, or a loved one, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, our FREE one-to-one peer support service is like having a friend who gets it at the end of the phone.
— Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) August 14, 2024
But don't just take our word for it 🧵⤵️#ProstateCancer l #Support pic.twitter.com/NJYLIALDO9
This step is crucial for identifying significant differences between healthy and cancerous samples, the researchers said.
Prof Meglinski said the entire process, including drying time, takes up to 15 minutes.
He said the findings had a 90% accuracy rate of early prostate cancer diagnosis (much higher than existing screening methods) and it holds “immense potential for revolutionising cancer diagnosis”.
Prof Meglinski added: “Prostate cancer accounts for nearly 10% of cancer deaths in men and is one of the leading causes of death in older men.
“However, the life expectancy of 90% of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer at stage 1 or 2 is 15 years or more.
“By enabling earlier and more accurate detection, our blood test has the potential to significantly improve outcomes and survival rates for many patients.”
The technique is less traumatic and risky for patients as it relies on blood samples instead of more invasive biopsies, Prof Meglinski said.
Recommended reading:
- Which blood type is the most rare? How to find out your blood type
- What are the symptoms of prostate cancer and how serious is it?
- The skin cancer symptom you might spot when walking up the stairs
However, he added that the results are preliminary so larger clinical trials are needed to confirm the technique’s potential.
Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, who was not involved in the study, said: “Over 10,000 men each year are diagnosed when their cancer has already spread and become incurable, which is why it’s so important that we find new and better tests for prostate cancer.
“The big issue is proving that these tests are better than what we have already.
“So far, this has been tested on a relatively small number of samples, so we’ll need to see more research before we can know how effective it will be.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel