A new weapon in the fight against cancer - Liquid Biopsy

The number of cancer deaths worldwide has been declining over the last few decades, although the incidence of cancer is on the rise. The sooner the treatment is started, the more likely it is that cancer will be completely cured.

Many different technologies are used to diagnose cancer, including PET scans, mammograms, and MRIs that can be used to detect cancerous tumors - but the most reliable way to detect cancer is a biopsy. - In this method, tissue samples are taken from the part of the body where cancer is most likely to be present. Whether or not there is cancerous tissue - but it is difficult and sometimes impossible to take a tissue sample for a biopsy - for example, in the case of brain cancer, it is practically impossible to take a tissue sample.

We have known for a long time that there are many mutations in cancer cells, one of which is in a gene called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) which, in the right state, does not allow the knowledge of cell division to grow beyond a certain limit. - Similarly, there are other mutations that are commonly found in cancer cells. Some of the cells that carry this mutation also enter the bloodstream from cancer tumors - so it is now possible to detect these mutations by blood tests. This technique is called Liquid Biopsy and requires only five milliliters of blood samples.

Tissue biopsy is usually done when other sources show signs of cancer (such as cancerous tumors appearing somewhere in the body, the patient continuing to lose weight, etc.) - by this time cancer has usually grown significantly. This means that it has been spreading slowly for many years and sometimes even decades - blood tests can diagnose cancer in the very early stages - and just one test can diagnose many types of cancer. - On the contrary, one of the major drawbacks of the current technology is that different tests are required to diagnose different types of cancers. For this reason, liquid biopsy is being called a revolutionary technology and game-changer for diagnosing cancer.

Doctors recommend that everyone undergo a medical examination at least once a year, called an annual physical exam. During this test, blood samples are taken and blood is analyzed. Blood tests in the coming years. Tests to identify cells that contain cancer-identifying DNA mutations will also be included - if the results of the new test are different from the results of the previous year's test and the new test contains certain DNA mutations. If found, it would mean that a cancerous tumor has started to form somewhere in the body - further tests can identify the position of the tumor and the type of cancer - thus at the very beginning of cancer, i.e one of the onset of the tumor. It will be possible to treat it within a year and the chances of the cancer being eradicated and the patient recovering will be multiplied.