British researchers have developed an innovative blood test that promises to transform the way lung cancer is detected and monitored, demonstrating that it can identify even a single cancer cell in a blood sample.
The study, carried out by specialists from the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Keele University and Loughborough University, was published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy. The team used the technique of Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FT-IR), which looks at how different chemicals absorb infrared light.
This approach could allow doctors to monitor cancer “real time” through a simple blood test, say the authors of the study, according to News.ro.
How the test works
The team was able to detect a single lung cancer cell in a patient’s blood by combining advanced infrared scanning with computer analysis, focusing on “chemical fingerprint” specific to cancer cells. This method could help patients receive earlier diagnoses, personalized treatments and avoid invasive procedures. In addition, the technique could be applied to other types of cancer.
The study explains how the technique can identify a circulating tumor cell (CTC) in the blood. Circulating tumor cells detach from a tumor and circulate through the blood, providing clues about the evolution of the disease and the effectiveness of treatments, but also being responsible for metastases.
Existing methods for detecting CTCs can be complicated, expensive and time-consuming, sometimes failing to identify cancer cells, which can change their characteristics in the blood.
The new technique projects an infrared beam onto the blood sample, compared by the authors to the light of a TV remote control, but much stronger. Because chemicals absorb infrared light differently, CTCs have a distinct pattern called CTCs “chemical fingerprintComputerized data analysis allows rapid identification of circulating tumor cells.
Advantages and prospects
The researchers claim the method is simpler and more accessible than current techniques, using standard equipment already found in pathology labs. Thus, its adoption in clinical practice could be rapid.
The next step is to test the method on larger groups of patients to develop a rapid, automated blood test that does not require manual analysis and can be integrated into oncology care pathways.
