Jared Fisher (left) and Jose Montoya Mira (right) are cancer researchers at The Ohio State University (OHSU) who created PAC-MANN, a test that uses a small blood sample to detect a key marker of the most common and deadly form of pancreatic cancer. (Image credit: OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)
Scientists are creating a test that uses a small blood sample to detect pancreatic cancer early.
Pancreatic cancer can be potentially curable if diagnosed early. However, patients are typically diagnosed only after the cancer has already spread, significantly reducing their chances of survival. More than 51,000 people are expected to die from the disease in the U.S. this year, accounting for more than 8% of all cancer deaths in the country.
One reason pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage is that doctors don’t have standard screening tests for the disease, although some tests are being studied for people at high risk. Scientists are now developing a test they hope will be able to diagnose this deadly cancer from just one drop of blood.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
