A simple blood test will immediately reveal five types of cancer.

American specialists in computational biology have identified a genomic signature in the DNA of cancer cells, common to five different types of cancer. This means that it will be possible to diagnose five types of the disease at the early stage with a single blood test.

A signaling genomic signature is formed during a chemical modification of DNA, which is called methylation , when a DNA molecule is modified without changing the nucleotide sequence itself. Scientists have found the same methylation marker in five different types of cancer: colon, lung, breast, stomach, and endometrial cancer.

The five types mentioned are common and dangerous types of cancer, so the new test will be extremely useful. If you diagnose cancer at an early stage, the chances for a successful treatment are significantly increased.

“The search for a signature based on methylation is similar to a search for spruce in a pine forest,” says computational biologist Laura Elnitski of the American National Human Genome Institute. “This is a technical task of identification, but we found the methylated signature of the ZNF154 gene, which is unique to cancer.”
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The results of scientific work published in the journal The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. They are based on the previous work of Elnitsky with colleagues, who in 2013 revealed a unique signature in the ZNF154 gene and suggested that this is a universal cancer biomarker. So it happened.

“No one in my group slept the next night,” the biologist admits. - It was so amazing to find a candidate bimarker. This is the first of its kind biomarker that is suitable for so many types of cancer. ”

The delight of scientists can be understood. Imagine how many millions of lives can save their discovery.

The new research paper describes a series of steps necessary to isolate a biomarker in each of the types of cancer. To enhance the "signal" (DNA amplification), a technique known as the polymerase chain reaction is used - a method of significantly increasing small concentrations of certain DNA fragments in biological material.

So far, there is no explanation why this particular methylation biomarker is characteristic of cancer, but already now it is possible to develop a blood sample analysis technique to put it into practice.

“We laid the foundation for the development of a diagnostic test that will give hope to detect cancer earlier and dramatically increase the survival rate of people with many types of cancer,” said Elnitsky.