Blood Test Differentiates Between Cancers, Tumors, and Other Diseases

The blood-derived biomarkers should help doctors determine whether a recovering cancer patient has relapsed, and may someday aid in the early detection of a variety of cancers.

The biomarkers consist of immune molecules called human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and their load of peptides, which are degraded bits of protein that they carry to the surface of tumor cells. Because cancer cells release larger amounts of the HLA molecules, it might be possible to diagnose different diseases including cancer by analyzing the peptides carried by soluble HLA.

Investigators at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Haifa, Israel) have tested the method in blood from patients with multiple myeloma and leukemia, as well as in healthy people and cancer cells cultured in the lab. By using immunoaffinity purification and mass spectrometry, the scientists found that, among the thousands of circulating HLA-peptides in a few milliliters of blood drawn from people with multiple myeloma and leukemia, many were derived from cancer-related proteins. If the process is validated under further intensive testing, the scientists said, it could form "a foundation for development of a simple and universal blood-based cancer diagnosis."

Prof. Ari Admon, leader of the Technion team said, "We aim at early detection, leading to a better prognosis, relapse detection, and better information for personalized treatment. All of these are long term goals. We think that relapse detection may be the first achievable goal."

Whereas current blood tests for cancer merely note whether cancerous cells are still in the blood stream, the new test will be able to differentiate between different kinds of cancers and tumors as well as other diseases.

The study was published on October 26, 2010 in the early edition of the Proceedings of the [U.S.] National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Related Links:
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology