Blood Test News and Research

RSS

Follow-up letters, FIT tests can help improve colon cancer screening completion

Sending a letter and, in some cases, a simple mail-in kit tripled colon cancer screening completion among low-income adults, researchers at UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center report this week in JAMA.

8 Sep 2017

Breakthrough research offers novel, non-invasive test to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease

In the largest and most conclusive study of its kind, researchers have analysed blood samples to create a novel and non-invasive way of helping to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and distinguishing between different types of neurodegenerative disorders.

6 Sep 2017

Combined DNA and protein 'liquid biopsy' more accurate in identifying early-stage pancreatic cancer

Johns Hopkins scientists say they have developed a blood test that spots tumor-specific DNA and protein biomarkers for early-stage pancreatic cancer.

4 Sep 2017

A blood test that can diagnose PTSD may be on the horizon

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using a simple blood test, after scientists identified genetic changes in soldiers who experienced trauma after serving time in Afghanistan.

4 Sep 2017

‘Liquid biopsies’ may help predict prognosis of early-stage lung cancer patients

Cancer cells obtained from a blood test may be able to predict how early-stage lung cancer patients will fare, a team from the University of Michigan has shown.

30 Aug 2017

Smartphone app could be used to screen for pancreatic cancer

Scientists have created an app that uses Smartphone selfies to detect pancreatic cancer while it is in the early stages.

29 Aug 2017

New app could lead to earlier detection of pancreatic cancer by snapping a smartphone selfie

Pancreatic cancer has one of the worst prognoses - with a five-year survival rate of 9 percent - in part because there are no telltale symptoms or non-invasive screening tools to catch a tumor before it spreads.

29 Aug 2017

Blood test using infrared spectroscopy could provide cheaper, quicker alternative for colitis screening

A fast, simple blood test for ulcerative colitis using infrared spectroscopy could provide a cheaper, less invasive alternative for screening compared to colonoscopy, which is now the predominant test, according to a study between the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

23 Aug 2017

New blood test can predict drug resistance in patients with advanced prostate cancer

When bacteria develop antibiotic resistance, treatment with these medications becomes ineffective. Similarly, tumor cells can also change in such a way that renders them resistant to particular medications.

22 Aug 2017

Women with a medical history of breast or ovarian cancer often fail to test for inherited genetic changes

A new study conducted by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, states that among nearly 4 million women in the United States who possess a medical history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer, 1.5 million have an increased risk of bearing some kinds of genetic mutations, which might increase the probability of causing additional cancers in the future.

21 Aug 2017

Pork products associated with carrying hepatitis E virus in Britain

Pork products that are being sold at a leading supermarket has been associated with carrying a deadly hepatitis virus warns the researchers at the Public Health England (PHE).

20 Aug 2017

Researchers get closer to creating new blood test that can identify breast cancer brain metastasis

Houston Methodist cancer researchers are now closer to creating a blood test that can identify breast cancer patients who are at increased risk for developing brain metastasis, and also monitor disease progression and response to therapy in real time.

17 Aug 2017

Novel blood test identifies tumor-derived DNA in early-stage cancer patients

In a bid to detect cancers early and in a noninvasive way, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report they have developed a test that spots tiny amounts of cancer-specific DNA in blood and have used it to accurately identify more than half of 138 people with relatively early-stage colorectal, breast, lung and ovarian cancers.

17 Aug 2017

Blood biopsy helps identify targetable genetic alterations in patients with cancer of unknown primary

Using fragments of circulating tumor DNA in blood, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers were able to identify theoretically targetable genetic alterations in 66 percent of patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP), a rare disease with seven to 12 cases per 100,000 people each year.

16 Aug 2017

Highly sensitive blood test holds potential for quickly tracking cancer growth and spread

Stanford University scientists have described a new type of test that can detect genetic mutations in minute amounts of DNA released from cancer cells into the blood.

14 Aug 2017

Immunotherapy shows promise in treatment of Type 1 diabetes

Around 1.25 million Americans are living with type 1 diabetes and 40,000 new cases are detected each year. In this condition body’s own immune system attacks and damages the insulin-producing β-cells inside the pancreas leading to impaired glucose metabolism in the body. There is no other treatment for this condition than regular painful insulin injections to maintain the normal insulin levels in the body. Type 1 diabetes is currently considered to be incurable.

10 Aug 2017

South Texas fights tuberculosis one blood test at a time

Like most people at Haven for Hope, San Antonio’s largest homeless shelter, James Harrison doesn’t plan on staying long. “I lost my apartment and had nowhere else to go,” he explained.

8 Aug 2017

Biological bypass found safe for patients with coronary artery disease

A new gene therapy that targets the heart and requires only one treatment session has been found safe for patients with coronary artery disease, according to a successful trial carried out in Finland.

8 Aug 2017

Shortage of Hepatitis B vaccine - prioritization of vaccinations announced in UK

According to a recent announcement made by Public Health England, there is a global shortage of vaccines used against hepatitis B infection. This announcement is followed up by a “prioritisation guidance” which means that persons who are at greatest risk of getting hepatitis B are to be vaccinated on priority if they have not received the vaccine before.

7 Aug 2017

Scientists creating blood test to identify breast cancer patients at risk for brain metastasis

4 Aug 2017