Simple blood test for breast cancer could be more accurate than mammograms
A simple blood test could prove more accurate than mammograms by predicting breast cancer up to five years before it develops in the body, a major study has found. Scientists said the “truly amazing” method could predict the chance of developing the disease with accuracy levels of around 80%. This compares with mammograms, which are around 75% sensitive – and only after cancer is present. There have also been concerns about the number of “false positives” picked up by the breast scans, leading to thousands of women undergoing needless treatment.
The new technique involves measuring all of the compounds in the blood to build a “metabolic profile” of an individual, in order to detect changes in the way chemicals are processed, during a pre-cancerous stage. Lead researcher, Professor Rasmus Bro, said: “The method is better than mammography, which can only be used when the disease has already occurred. “It is not perfect, but it is truly amazing that we can predict breast cancer years into the future.”