MicroRNA-Based Test Identifies 12 Cancers Simultaneously Across Any Stage

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 14 Oct 2024

Image: The test aims to detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers at an early stage (Photo courtesy of AdobeStock)

Cancer survival rates drastically differ depending on when the disease is diagnosed, with a 90% survival rate for early-stage detection compared to just 10% for late-stage diagnosis. Screening remains the most effective method to catch cancer early, targeting individuals without current symptoms. However, screening is only available for four types of cancer and typically focuses on just one cancer at a time. Despite medical advances, nearly half of all cancers are still detected at advanced stages. Moreover, screening often yields low specificity, producing 18 false positives for every accurate diagnosis. This not only causes significant stress for patients but also leads to costly follow-up tests to confirm the diagnosis. Now, a new blood-based, multi-cancer diagnostic test aims to detect 12 of the deadliest and most common cancers at an early stage, before symptoms appear.

Developed by scientists at the University of Southampton (Southampton, UK), the test, named miONCO, holds the potential to revolutionize cancer detection. It is designed to identify cancers at early stages, offering hope for more effective treatments and earlier interventions for millions of people. miONCO was created using clinical data from 20,000 cancer patients and builds on the PCR technology refined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially designed to detect breast cancer, miONCO has now been expanded to test for 12 of the most prevalent cancers, including lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, colorectal, ovarian, liver, brain, esophageal, bladder, bone and soft tissue sarcoma, and gastric cancer.

This test utilizes a combination of biomarkers and artificial intelligence (AI) to simultaneously detect all 12 cancers at any stage, using only 10 to 15 drops of blood. miONCO boasts a 99% accuracy rate with an exceptionally low false positive rate, correctly identifying 50 cancers for every false positive. This represents a major advancement over current screening methods. The scientists are currently conducting further studies to enhance the test, aiming to make it faster and more affordable, with a target price of GBP 120 per test. The ongoing study will assess 8,000 samples from a diverse group of individuals to ensure the test's reliability across different genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

“This test has the potential to save many lives by catching cancers much earlier than currently possible, making it a real game-changer,” said Professor Paul Skipp from the University of Southampton who co-founded the test.

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