Potential Biomarker Developed for Pancreatic Cancer
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 05 Jul 2012 |
|
A highly accurate, blood-based pancreatic adenocarcinoma screen has been developed that should be accurate enough to test the general population for this deadly disease.
Earlier detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma would improve survival outcomes, but most efforts to date have been unsuccessful at identifying a biomarker or biomarker panel that has a high diagnostic sensitivity.
At the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) scientists have come to the conclusion that screening a panel of biomarkers might be effective by embracing the idea that pancreatic adenocarcinoma has vast genetic heterogeneity, meaning no single biomarker exists that is strongly correlated with its diagnosis across the population of people who develop the disease.
Therefore, they decided that any test for pancreatic adenocarcinoma deployed to the general population must have an accuracy of greater than 99%. To see if such levels of accuracy were possible, the investigators measured the levels of nine biomarkers of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the blood of 117 healthy control participants, 58 participants with chronic pancreatitis and 159 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. They used a statistical model, to determine that many of these weak biomarkers present in those patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma had 95% specificity for the disease, but on average, only 32% sensitivity.
Matthew Firpo, PhD, an assistant professor at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) said, "Identifying 40 biomarker is reasonable. We believe we can find 40 biomarkers that are weak classifiers of the disease. That means that based on the current understanding of biomarkers that we have, there is hope for developing a panel that would have greater than 99% accuracy." He added that the next step is to identify systematically 40 to 50 biomarkers that have these characteristics giving 32% sensitivity and 95% specificity or better. The study was presented at the Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held June 18-21, 2012, in Lake Tahoe (NV, USA).
Related Links:
University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Earlier detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma would improve survival outcomes, but most efforts to date have been unsuccessful at identifying a biomarker or biomarker panel that has a high diagnostic sensitivity.
At the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) scientists have come to the conclusion that screening a panel of biomarkers might be effective by embracing the idea that pancreatic adenocarcinoma has vast genetic heterogeneity, meaning no single biomarker exists that is strongly correlated with its diagnosis across the population of people who develop the disease.
Therefore, they decided that any test for pancreatic adenocarcinoma deployed to the general population must have an accuracy of greater than 99%. To see if such levels of accuracy were possible, the investigators measured the levels of nine biomarkers of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the blood of 117 healthy control participants, 58 participants with chronic pancreatitis and 159 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. They used a statistical model, to determine that many of these weak biomarkers present in those patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma had 95% specificity for the disease, but on average, only 32% sensitivity.
Matthew Firpo, PhD, an assistant professor at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) said, "Identifying 40 biomarker is reasonable. We believe we can find 40 biomarkers that are weak classifiers of the disease. That means that based on the current understanding of biomarkers that we have, there is hope for developing a panel that would have greater than 99% accuracy." He added that the next step is to identify systematically 40 to 50 biomarkers that have these characteristics giving 32% sensitivity and 95% specificity or better. The study was presented at the Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held June 18-21, 2012, in Lake Tahoe (NV, USA).
Related Links:
University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV
New
Multi-Function Pipetting Platform
apricot PP5
New
Respiratory Bacterial Panel
Real Respiratory Bacterial Panel 2
Latest Pathology News
- AI Model Predicts Patient Response to Bladder Cancer Treatment
- New Laser-Based Method to Accelerate Cancer Diagnosis
- New AI Model Predicts Gene Variants’ Effects on Specific Diseases
- Powerful AI Tool Diagnoses Coeliac Disease from Biopsy Images with Over 97% Accuracy
- Pre-Analytical Conditions Influence Cell-Free MicroRNA Stability in Blood Plasma Samples
- 3D Cell Culture System Could Revolutionize Cancer Diagnostics
- Painless Technique Measures Glucose Concentrations in Solution and Tissue Via Sound Waves
- Skin-Based Test to Improve Diagnosis of Rare, Debilitating Neurodegenerative Disease
- Serum Uromodulin Could Indicate Acute Kidney Injury in COVID-19 Patients
- AI Model Reveals True Biological Age From Five Drops of Blood
- First-Of-Its-Kind AI Tool Visualizes Cell’s ‘Social Network’ To Treat Cancer
- New Test Diagnoses High-Risk Childhood Brain Tumors
- Informatics Solution Elevates Laboratory Efficiency and Patient Care
- Microfluidic Device Assesses Stickiness of Tumor Cells to Predict Cancer Spread
- New AI Tool Outperforms Previous Methods for Identifying Colorectal Cancer from Tissue Sample Analysis
- New Technique Predicts Aggressive Tumors Before They Metastasize
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Carbon Nanotubes Help Build Highly Accurate Sensors for Continuous Health Monitoring
Current sensors can measure various health indicators, such as blood glucose levels, in the body. However, there is a need to develop more accurate and sensitive sensor materials that can detect lower... Read more
Paper-Based Device Boosts HIV Test Accuracy from Dried Blood Samples
In regions where access to clinics for routine blood tests presents financial and logistical obstacles, HIV patients are increasingly able to collect and send a drop of blood using paper-based devices... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
D-Dimer Testing Can Identify Patients at Higher Risk of Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a commonly suspected condition in emergency departments (EDs) and can be life-threatening if not diagnosed correctly. Achieving an accurate diagnosis is vital for providing effective... Read more
New Biomarkers to Improve Early Detection and Monitoring of Kidney Injury
Drug-induced kidney injury, also known as nephrotoxicity, is a prevalent issue in clinical practice, occurring when specific medications at certain doses cause damage to the kidneys. Nephrotoxicity can... Read more
Hematology
view channel
New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder
Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or... Read more
Non-Invasive Prenatal Test for Fetal RhD Status Demonstrates 100% Accuracy
In the United States, approximately 15% of pregnant individuals are RhD-negative. However, in about 40% of these cases, the fetus is also RhD-negative, making the administration of RhoGAM unnecessary.... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions
In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more
Cerebrospinal Fluid Test Predicts Dangerous Side Effect of Cancer Treatment
In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach where the patient's immune system is harnessed to fight cancer. One form of immunotherapy, called CAR-T-cell therapy, involves... Read more
New Test Measures Preterm Infant Immunity Using Only Two Drops of Blood
Preterm infants are particularly vulnerable due to their organs still undergoing development, which can lead to difficulties in breathing, eating, and regulating body temperature. This is especially true... Read more
Simple Blood Test Could Help Choose Better Treatments for Patients with Recurrent Endometrial Cancer
Endometrial cancer, which develops in the lining of the uterus, is the most prevalent gynecologic cancer in the United States, affecting over 66,000 women annually. Projections indicate that in 2025, around... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours
Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more
Innovative ID/AST System to Help Diagnose Infectious Diseases and Combat AMR
Each year, 11 million people across the world die of sepsis out of which 1.3 million deaths are due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to weigh heavily,... Read more
Gastrointestinal Panel Delivers Rapid Detection of Five Common Bacterial Pathogens for Outpatient Use
Acute infectious gastroenteritis results in approximately 179 million cases each year in the United States, leading to a significant number of outpatient visits and hospitalizations. To address this, a... Read more
Technology
view channel
Smartphones Could Diagnose Diseases Using Infrared Scans
Rapid advancements in technology may soon make it possible for individuals to bypass invasive medical procedures by simply uploading a screenshot of their lab results from their phone directly to their doctor.... Read more
Novel Sensor Technology to Enable Early Diagnoses of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disorders
Metabolites are critical compounds that fuel life's essential functions, playing a key role in producing energy, regulating cellular activities, and maintaining the balance of bodily systems.... Read more
3D Printing Breakthrough Enables Large Scale Development of Tiny Microfluidic Devices
Microfluidic devices are diagnostic systems capable of analyzing small volumes of materials with precision and speed. These devices are used in a variety of applications, including cancer cell analysis,... Read more
Industry
view channel
Tecan Acquires ELISA Immunoassay Assets from Revvity's Cisbio Bioassays
Tecan Group (Männedorf, Switzerland) has entered into an agreement to acquire certain assets relating to key ELISA immunoassay products from Cisbio Bioassays SAS (Codolet, France), a subsidiary of the... Read more
