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Liquid biopsy is a method to help detect cancer early and lead to an accurate diagnosis of over 99% in a short time without invasiveness in patients. The following things to know about liquid biopsies will help us understand more about this modern medical method for early cancer detection.
1. What is a liquid biopsy?
Liquid biopsy is the taking of a small, non-invasive blood sample to test for cells with certain characteristics, namely circulating tumor cells, tumor nucleic acids circulating in the blood, fragments of DNA and RNA exist in the blood.
With this method, the patient usually gets 2 tubes of blood about 10ml each for testing to count the number of cells that exist in the blood.
2. Mechanism of liquid biopsy to help detect cancer
The nature of cells always has a replacement, the death of one cell, another cell will be born. When cells die, their components are released into the bloodstream. In healthy people, cells release genetic material, or free DNA, into the bloodstream. Meanwhile, people with cancer have a proportion of DNA derived from dead tumor cells called ctDNA. And when performing a liquid biopsy, ctDNA is found in the blood as tumors release genetic material into the bloodstream.
Cơ chế sinh thiết lỏng giúp phát hiện ung thư
Types of tumors that release ctDNA into the bloodstream:
Lung cancer ; Neuroblastoma; Prostate cancer ; Ovarian Cancer ; Colorectal cancer; Liver Cancer ; Breast cancer ; Skin cancer, melanoma; Thyroid Cancer ; Head and neck cancer; Pancreatic duct cancer; Stem cell cancer; Bladder cancer ; Gastroesophageal cancer; Myeloblastoma; Glioblastoma cancer. In which, for ovarian cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer when performing liquid biopsy with positive results. Main results of up to 70%.
Sensitivity of liquid biopsy test ranges from 69-98% when detecting 5 types of ovarian, liver, stomach, pancreatic and esophageal cancers. The test's ability to determine the location of organs and tumor growth is 99% accurate.
When the tradition is still using the surgical method to remove tissue from the tumor to detect cancer, it can lead to many risks and pain for patients, especially patients with late stage cancer, liquid biopsy is a new method that can be checked regularly and periodically to detect tumors early, increase the cure rate, and prolong the patient's life.
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3. Liquid biopsy detects false positives for cancer
Liquid biopsies also detected false positives for cancer. A test that gives a false-positive result for cancer is a test result that indicates cancer but in fact the subject does not have a tumor in the body.
False-positive cancer status due to early cancer screening tests makes patients worry, bewildered and perform a series of other diagnostic methods as well as inappropriate treatment methods, causing consequences serious to the health and mental well-being of the patient.
Liquid biopsy reduces false-positive results in cancer screening methods to less than 1%. This saves the patient from having to undergo many unnecessary follow-up diagnostic tests.
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