New Delhi (NVI): A new blood test that can detect brain cancer has been developed in the United Kingdom. It’s cutting edge technology uses artificial intelligence and has a high accuracy rate.
This new blood test sounds very promising. Researchers used an infrared light technique to produce what’s called a biochemical ‘fingerprint’. Then machine learning technology, otherwise known as Artificial Intelligence (AI) was trained to identify brain cancer in blood samples. And out of 104 patients in this study, the test was correct 87% of the time.
According to the National Cancer Institute, around 0.6% of people will develop brain cancer or another cancer of the nervous system in their lifetime.
This research has been published in the journal Nature Communications and its principal author is Matthew J. of the University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom.
Why is it so hard to detect brain cancer?
The symptoms for brain tumors are pretty nonspecific, for instance, you can have headaches, memory issues, balance problems or seizures. So it’s hard to know if you have a tumor or some other condition. Plus symptoms can vary depending on what type of tumor it is and where it’s located. Some tumors show no symptoms until they’re very large while others develop slowly over time. So that’s why this type of test is so vital. It won’t provide a final diagnosis, but it looks like it could be a very important tool when it comes to diagnosing brain tumors.
More rapid means of diagnosis
As the researchers explain in their paper, they used a technique called attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and coupled it with machine learning technology to detect brain cancer.
The authors explain that the technique is “a simple, label free, noninvasive, nondestructive” way of analyzing the biochemical profile of a blood sample without requiring extensive preparation of the sample.
The ATR-FTIR technique allowed the researchers to work out a biochemical “fingerprint” of brain cancer.
Many cases of brain tumors are found in India
According to a 2018 report of the International Association of Cancer Registries, 28,142 brain tumor cases are found in India every year. Of these, around 24,000 people die. The reason behind a large number of deaths is because most people are unable to get the brain tumor detected or examined on time.
Common Symptoms
The initial symptoms of brain tumors are so common that people usually ignore it and the disease keeps growing inside. Usually, the onset of a brain tumor includes frequent headaches, forgetting things, migraine-like symptoms or occasional fainting, tremors, etc.
