Blood Test for Breast Cancer

An international research group is reporting development and early clinical testing of an ultra-sensitive blood test for breast cancer. Their new immunoassay was 200-1,000 times more sensitive than existing tests, according to a report scheduled for the August 4 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research.

Jasminka Godovac-Zimmermann of University College London headed the group, which included scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, and BioTraces, Inc. in Herndon, Va.

Tests on 250 breast cancer patients and 95 controls showed that the test had sensitivity and specificity of about 95%. Breast cancer originates in so-called epithelial cells, and the researchers cited pilot studies suggesting that the test could work for epithelial cancers, such as prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and melanoma.

In their report, the researchers cite a need for a more effective way of screening for breast cancer—especially in younger women for whom mammography is less sensitive. "Better blood-based testing may aid in early diagnosis, may reduce the need for open biopsy and could provide new modalities for monitoring of therapy," they wrote.