What many of you do not know is that this DNA altered by cancer isn’t just localized in the affected cells themselves, some of it is absorbed into the bloodstream. This type of DNA, also referred to as cell-free DNA or cfDNA, is exactly what the novel cancer test is isolating, so there is no need to do a biopsy and access the tumor itself. After isolating the methylation patterns of the cfDNA in the lab, the test results are fed into a computer, which goes through a series of complex computations and subsequently matches the methylation patterns to the type of cancer a person might have.
Although the study authors are still confirming their previous trial results in a larger population study, so far the results are truly impressive. After testing blood samples of over 4,000 people, some of whom had cancer, and some who didn’t, the results of the test were accurate in detecting cancer 93% of the time. The researchers tested more than 50 types of cancer in the study, and for these cancers, the test managed to detect where the cancer had originated in the body in 96% of cases.