Early diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer
Oropharyngeal cancer can be predicted in a few years
The study showed that 1 out of 3 patients with oropharyngeal cancer had specific antibodies in their blood. In healthy people, the incidence of these antibodies is 1 in 100. It is important that antibodies are present in the blood for several years before the onset of the disease. Perhaps in a few years, a blood test will be used for early diagnosis of a dangerous type of cancer, researchers from the National Institute of Malignant Neoplasms (USA) suggest.
Article by Kreimer et al. Evaluation of Human Papillomavirus Antibodies and Risk of Secondary Head and Neck Cancer published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology; press release NIH scientists find promising biomarker for predicting HPV-related oropharynx cancer, from which the HPV genome scheme type 16 is taken, – on the website of the National Cancer Institute – VM.
Previously, it was believed that oropharyngeal cancer is primarily associated with smoking and alcohol abuse. However, in recent years, the number of patients with this type of cancer has been growing in the world, and the cause of the disease is the human papillomavirus (HPV). So, only in the USA about 60% of oropharyngeal cancer is associated with HPV. One of the HPV – E6 proteins contributes to the formation of tumors. It is antibodies to this protein that are found in the blood of patients with oropharyngeal cancer. The study showed that antibodies are found not only in people who have already been diagnosed, but also in many others. Such patients can be considered potential patients, the researchers believe, based on their many years of research.
Scientists have tested more than 500 thousand blood samples of adults from 10 European countries. The patients donated blood at the very beginning of the study, and were followed for several years. The blood of 135 people who had cancer during the 13-year study was thoroughly analyzed, as well as the blood of 1,600 people who had not developed cancer. It turned out that antibodies to the E6 protein were detected in 35% of patients with cancer, and only less than 1% of healthy people.
Blood tests, it should be noted, were collected on average six years before diagnosis. However, in some cases, antibodies were detected even 10 years before the diagnosis. This important discovery in the future will improve the chances of patients with oropharyngeal cancer for a favorable outcome of the disease. It turns out that in 70% of cases, patients with E6 antibodies in the blood have a better chance of survival, since the precursors of the disease are observed earlier and more frequent examinations can be done in order to start treatment at the earliest stage in case of illness.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru18.06.2013