14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers from the University of Florida have developed a new method to trace cancer cells at an earlier stage, which would be extremely helpful to cancer patients. If doctors could trace down cancer cells in the body and diagnose patients earlier, this would be very beneficial for the sufferers' health. The sooner the onset of cancer is spotted, the better and more efficiently treated would be the lethal disease.
Cancer cells that grow into one's body are different from healthy cells. In fact, cancer cells are abnormal body cells which uncontrollably develop into an individual's organism and lead to the formation of malignant tumors. The cancerous tumors then lead to severe health problems, degeneration of the immune system and eventually death.
This is why it is so important to trace prolific cancer cells in an individual's body and stop them from dividing and multiplying. However, even if cancer cells are different from healthy ones, it is hard for doctors to spot them at an early stage.
A research team from the University of Florida created a set of DNA probes that would stick only to the cancer cells in the body and will avoid healthy ones. This would make it extremely easier for doctors to diagnose patients more quickly and avoid complications.
Knowing that DNA sticks to proteins on the surface of cancer cells, Florida scientists made hundreds of DNA probes to which they attached a fluorescent protein. This way, they tested the fluorescent probes and observed that these ones attached only to proteins placed on the surface of the cancer cells. Experts then concluded that the method of "labeled" DNA probes was more effective in tracing cancer cells than analyzing cells using a microscope.
"This is a promising start for what is essentially a completely new method for diagnosing cancer. If it proves to be successful in human trials, it could allow doctors to spot tumors much earlier and distinguish between subtly different cancer types. As cancers are generally easier to treat when diagnosed early, this could save many lives," stated for BBC Ed Yong, cancer information officer at Cancer Research UK.